The Journey of Stormfast (Remake)
by DogDrawler
Summary: While Kate and Humphrey are falling in love, a wolf from the Eastern Pack named Stormfast is taken far away from home. He makes a life for himself and creates his own pack but so does his adopted brother who's out to kill him. As the East and West unite, Stormfast fights a war where blood, fire, romance, and camaraderie collide in this epic story for the future of Jasper Park.
1. Chapter 1: Eastern Alphas

**This is the official rewrite of my first book, The Journey of Stormfast. Unlike my 2014 version, this one is rewritten directly from the physical book (and previous drafts I have archived) that I wrote when I was twelve and thirteen-years-old while also adding some new elements that will make the story as clear as possible. In other words, this version will be more faithful to the original story while also making it clearer and more readable. The 2014 version will still be available on Fanfiction Net if anyone wants to compare and contrast. Nonetheless, enjoy!**

**The Journey of Stormfast** by DogDrawler

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**Part 1:** The Cause

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Chapter 1: Eastern Alphas

Five wolves, Alphas-in-training, stand side-by-side, shoulder-by-shoulder, flank-by-flank. This was a race, a race to let the athletic Alpha School instructor know who's the fastest runner.

"Five... four... three... two... one... zero, go!"

They ran as fast as they could, daring themselves not to pant. Of course, there could only be one winner, and that winner was none other than Stormfast, a wolf practically built for speed.

"Ha! Beatcha'!"

"How do you do that?" asked Stomfast's cousin, a reddish-orange wolf named Garth. "Are you even panting?"

"No, I just have a gift," the black wolf answered. Aside from black, Stormfast also had white fur on the tips of his paws and tail. He was considered pretty handsome by wolf standards.

"You were probably born that way. I wish I was gifted like you," said Stone, Stormfast's adopted brother. He and the black wolf were inseparable. Stormfast often eyed Stone's white fur that was dotted with light brown patches.

"Who cares if Storm won the race? That dang wolf gets too much praise," a wolf named Scar muttered.

"Tony cares," said the instructor, approaching them. His brown fur was enough for some wolves to mistake him for a tree. "'Cause now he's gonna know who's the best on a hunt."

"Thank you, Smokey," Stomfast replied while grinning.

"Now all of you listen," the instructor continued, "Tony will now give y'all various tasks. It is your duty to listen to him carefully and do exactly what he says."

"Wait!" said a female named Claws. "What do you mean? The pack leader is giving us tasks 'now'? We're not Alphas yet."

"Ah, not exactly." Smokey then made a huge smile. "Since today is the first day of spring, you all are now officially promoted to Alphas!" The entire group cheered.

"Whoo-hoo! Not a Beta anymore!" Garth exclaimed.

"Glad that's over!" said Stomfast.

"Glad winter's over too," Stone added. "So who's ready for the Moonlight Howl?"

The Moonlight Howl was a celebration held only on the first day of spring every year to unite young wolves of opposite genders to howl together, signaling the start of the mating season.

"I know I am," said Stormfast. "I've been working on my howls lately."

"So have I," said Garth.

"You howl?" Claws replied, tilting her head.

"Of course I do. Maybe not as good as y'all though, but I do try."

"Whatever." Stormfast didn't believe Garth had practiced anything.

"Well," Garth continued, "I feel good about this night. You should know that I got a date with the Western Pack leader's daughter, Kate." The group became confused and baffled.

"I thought Easterns couldn't howl with Westerns just like how Alphas can't howl with Omegas?" said Stone.

"We can't howl with Westerns, but my dad, Tony, has made me an exception for a special purpose."

"Aye, and what might that be, Garth?" said another wolf named Scar.

"Do you guys not remember the big speech the Western Pack leader made back in autumn? He decreed that his Alpha daughter would marry me in the future, and that would finally allow the East and West to reunite after generations of rivalry."

"Why do we need to reunite the packs so bad?" Stormfast asked.

"Because," said the instructor, "Caribou is disappearing in the East."

"Oh, I guess that's why I haven't seen a caribou track a while. I assume our reserves aren't going to last much longer."

"I hear the Westerns are stealing all our caribou," Scar grumbled.

"No, they wouldn't do that. The Westerns are known for their nobility," said Garth.

Just then, Garth's father, Tony, appeared out of nowhere and walked up to the group.

"Are these the new Alphas, Smokey?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." The pack leader suddenly turned to young ones.

"Well, congrats! I hope you all had a great winter! So... Smokey, who won the race?"

"The legend, of course," he answered. "He beat my speed record."

"Stormfast broke another record again? Wow!" Scar rolled his eyes. "Well, guys, I hope you all are ready for the life ahead of you, especially you Garth. You will be following my pawsteps in becoming pack leader. Ahh... I remember when my dad, Bronx, said those exact words. We will have a ceremony in three days! Stormfast, Stone, Claws, Scar, and my son, Garth, I remember my time in Alpha School over five years ago. The memory is so distant now. We had a race too, but I didn't win it. My brother, Owen, rest in peace, won that race. Stormfast, your father was a great wolf. The winter we went through took too many good souls away. But let's not dwell on that. This is a happy time! We have the Moonlight Howl soon, so I insist all my new Alphas to go out and have fun just for today. We need it." The group happily dispersed.

"Still think I can't get a date?" said Stormfast before running off.

"Heh, I doubt it!" Claws replied. She was about to head to her parents' den with her friend Scar before Tony stopped them.

"Wait, you two. I have a special secret, and I mean secret, task for you both."

"We're listening," said Claws.

"Since there is no more caribou in the Eastern territory, I want you two to go quietly hunt in the Western territory. Get some kills and drag them here. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. It will be done," said Scar.

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**Next -** Chapter 2: A Night to Remember

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**(This chapter was originally written on a collection of drafts before I consolidated them sometime between April and May 2012. I revised it in 2013 before the book was complete. Then I revised it again on October 21st, 2014 and again on June 29th, 2015 before I revised it one more time on September 30th, 2019. This current rewrite contains elements from all the previous versions. This current version is the final one.)**


	2. Chapter 2: A Night to Remember

Chapter 2: A Night to Remember **(Originally written sometime in April 2012. Rewritten in July 2013; November 6th, 2014; and October 1st, 2019.)**

**That night...**

"_Watch this,_" Stomfast whispered. He emerged from the bushes and walked up to the two girls. "Hello, she-wolves! Name's Stormfast!" he announced. Stone, who was still hiding in the bushes, bit his lip as he watched his brother make him look weak.

"What do ya want?" said one of the females.

"Oh, I'm just walkin' around, thinking one of you she-wolves might wanna be my howling partner, eh?"

The two females turned away and huddled close to each other, whispering in each other's ears.

"_Wow, this guy looks cool!_" said Lisa.

"_He also looks cute! I think you should go with him. Why not,_" said the slightly older one named Winter

Stone watched as Lisa walked up to him. He turned and she walked by his side up the mountain. It was obvious that Stormfast was better at this stuff than Stone. What chance did he have against one of the top Alphas of the Eastern Pack? He knew it was now his turn to show off his moves. Better now than never.

"Well, Stone," he said to himself. "It's your turn. Stormfast made it look easy." He got out of the bushes and walked up to Winter. "Hey!" he called out.

"Uh, hi," she replied.

"Uhh, I was wondering. Do you... want to, uhh. Well, you know."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you... want to... uhh, go up Moonlight Howl Rock?"

"Umm, sure," said Winter.

"Let's say we howl into the moonlight!"

**Later...**

Suddenly, an out-of-tune howling noise rippled the sky where everybody could hear. Stormfast looked up to a place near the summit of Moonlight Howl Rock.

"Dang, Garth! I thought you said you worked on your howls!"

Meanwhile nearby, Stone and Winter were covering their ears.

"What?! Garth?! Really?!" Stone couldn't believe it. "Excuse me for a sec'," he said to Winter. "I'm getting some water." What Stone actually intended to do was smack some sense into Tony's son. He proceeded to walk through a path covered in vegetation. "Ow!" he yelped. In the span of a few seconds, he felt dizzy. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he got dizzier and dizzier until he passed out.

He then woke up in a tight space that was smooth on all sides. Everything looked alien. He looked through the little holes in front of him and saw a large, gritty, somewhat shiny red object a meter away. The strangeness only meant one thing. "Stormfast!" he yelled. "Stormfast!" The yell was within Stomfast's earshot. The black wolf stopped howling.

"_Stone must be in trouble!_ Umm... wait here! Sorry, Lisa!" He licked her cheek before running out of sight in the blink of an eye.

"Wait!" said Lisa. "Where are you—?" She couldn't finish her sentence. "Dang... He runs fast for a male."

"Storm!" Stone yelled again.

"Stone!" Stormfast yelled back. Stone distinctly smelled like fresh apples. He followed the scent until he saw the situation his brother was in. "Oh, gosh! This is a cage!"

"Get me out of here, dude!" Stormfast scanned the area for anything that might help. He began to panic.

"Uhh... umm..."

Just then, three aliens popped up from the treeline, carrying two more cages. Stone and Stormfast could hear wolves sleeping in them. Their hearts dropped.

"Dude!" said Stone to his brother. "If you don't let me out right now, I swear you'll never hear the end of it! LET ME OUT!"

"What the heck I'm I supposed to do?!" Stormfast screamed.

Stormfast had a choice: stay with Stone and get caught to comfort him or run away to escape the unknown horrors he might endure. Even though Stone was his best friend, he wanted to save himself. He didn't want to be chopped up and eaten, so he said something that would scar Stone for life. "Sorry, buddy..." Those would be the last words Stone hear from him in a long time.

Stormfast ran. He ran as fast as he could, having no idea of where he was going.

"Stormfast, YOU COWARD!" Stone growled.

"Sir?" said one of the humans.

"Just leave him," he other replied.

**Later...**

"Whoa!" Stormfast exclaimed. (*SPLASH!*) The black wolf slipped on a piece of mud and fell into a strong river. "*gag, gasp!* Help! *gurgle, gasp!* Anyone!" he screamed. He was being carried away in the strong current. (*thump!*) A large piece of bark bumped into him. There was a bunch of debris in the river. He grabbed the piece of bark and managed to put half his weight on it. He didn't want to put too much weight on it otherwise his raft would break.

The river was freezing cold. Stormfast shivered tremendously. The river then took him toward an alien-made bridge. The shiny red object from earlier moved across the arch. On the back of the noisy object were two cages.

He passed the bridge from underneath and thought to himself. Would Stone forgive him?

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**Next -** Chapter 3: Two Lone Wolves Part 1


	3. Chapter 3: Two Lone Wolves Part 1

Chapter 3: Two Lone Wolves Part 1 **(Originally written sometime in spring, 2012. Rewritten in July, 2013 and October 2nd, 2019)**

Stone looked in horror as he saw his best friend leave.

"Oh, great!" he exclaimed.

The three humans looked down at him.

"I think this wolf's an Alpha too," said one of them. "They tend to be more aggressive." The humans then turned their attention to the two other cages. Stone sighed and leaned against the cage door. Miraculously, the cage door popped open.

"Whoa! Uhh?" Stone was unuse if it was a ruse, but he took his chances. The humans looked back and saw what happened before turning to each other in frustration.

"I told you guys that cage was faulty!" the leader among them yelled. Stone was already out of sight.

**Meanwhile...**

Stormfast was shivering and panting in the water. He gave up trying to fight the current. He looked up at the almost full moon that hanged above Moonlight Howl Rock in the distance. He could still hear Garth's terrible howl. Stormfast couldn't believe Kate would stay a full minute with him.

Suddenly, the river took him around a corner and the trees blocked his view of the sky. The banks of the river were really steep. He couldn't escape. The river was taking him southward, and he was destined to head to the lands beyond the Eastern and Western Packs.

**Later, elsewhere...**

Stone was still running, but he was also crying. The thought of Storm leaving him like that was hurtful. It reminded him of his parents. Stone couldn't remember his origins, but he figured he was dropped off at Stormfast's family because his original family didn't want him. And now his new brother didn't want him. It was so hurtful that he tried to forget about it. He didn't want to go back to the Eastern Pack, not with Stormfast there.

Just as he turned around to check if anyone was following him, he tripped on a large rock and tumbled down a steep hill. When his body came to a stop, he winced at every bump and bruise he received from rolling over debris. He tried to stand back up back but as soon as he placed his right front paw down he felt a horrific pain.

"Owwww!" he yipped. "Must be broken." He looked around the area he was in. He wasn't in Eastern territory anymore. He did not recognize the land. He looked at a nearby tree and saw a huge clawmark on it. Then he realized every tree southeast of him was clawmarked. He also noticed a trail of prints heading southeast. He decided to follow them. The paws that made the prints were surely a lot bigger than Stone's. He could tell by examining them. "The biggest full-grown male must travel through here a lot." Most of the prints were not fresh. Some looked like they were at least five years old.

Stone spent hours following the prints. He went through uncharted terrain. He even crossed a stone bridge that went over a small creek.

He would often whine when his injured paw throbbed or when his other paw ached from walking while carrying the weight from the injured paw. He decided to take a little break in a cave he soon found. He laid on his back and placed his broken paw on a raised area of the floor, keeping his paw elevated.

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**Next -** Chapter 4: Two Lone Wolves Part 2


	4. Chapter 4: Two Lone Wolves Part 2

Chapter 4: Two Lone Wolves Part 2 **(Originally written sometime in spring, 2012. Rewritten in July, 2013 and revised again on October 3rd, 2019)**

**The next morning...**

"*yawn* Where am I?" Stormfast woke up from his sleep and realized that he was covered in debris: sand, mud, and little sticks. His once straight, pine-combed coat he prepared for the Moonlight Howl was now wet and muddy. Next to him was the bark he rode on earlier. He stood up and looked around. He was on the sandy beaches of a large lake. He wondered if the river he floated on last night emptied into this lake where the water then dumped him.

His stomach started to rumble. "Well, in Alpha School, they said 'in times of need you eat berries or eggs.' Just like the Eastern leader, Bronx, did when he accidentally got washed far away in a river and had to find his way back home. See, I know my wolf history!" he assured himself, trying to find motivation. Just then, he heard a grumbling sound in front of him. He ducked behind a sand dune. There, in a grassy area was a small caribou. "Well, good thing I don't have to eat eggs."

He began to creep in the grass. All of a sudden, the caribou ran like there was no tomorrow. Stormfast ran after. "This moose must have some great sense of smell," he remarked, catching up to it. Now, there were in deep forest. "Gotta watch out for trees." Stormfast then ran alongside it. "You know, I'm going to call you Memphis!" Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious voice caught his attention.

"Hello?" Stormfast looked behind himself.

"Hey, I'm trying to chase down Memphis over here!" he barked, not noticing Memphis turning a sharp right to avoid an incoming object. (*SMACK!*)

**Meanwhile...**

Stone was sound asleep when Simon entered his cave.

_Hmm... I thought there were apples in here. He must be a fellow traveler just like all the others,_ he thought. He placed all of his freshly-picked onions in the cave, then went to Stone and tapped on his head.

"*yawn*" Upon seeing a new wolf, Stone was instantly frightened. The new wolf was right in his face.

"Excuse me. Who are you?"

"Uhh, my name's Stone."

"Well, Stone. What are you doing in my cave?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I just needed a place for a break."

"A break from what?" Simon questioned.

"Following pawprints," Stone answered. The other wolf began to connect some dots.

"Oh, wait. Are you an Eastern?"

"Well, not anymore," said Stone. Simon sat down and laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh! I bet we have a lot in common!"

"What?" Simon started hugging him. "Let me tell you a story. I was an Eastern like you but younger, and there was a day where I licked an onion. I realized it tasted so good! So, from that point on, I was a herbivore!" Stone tried his best not to chuckle. "The day after that, I was promoted to Alpha. But then, on my first Alpha hunt, the pack leader, Bronx, came to me and said I wasn't allowed to hunt 'cause I didn't eat meat! I asked my fellow Alphamates to back me up... but they agreed! So I told them I would run away and return with revenge! The end!"

"Short story," said Stone. "What's your name?"

"Simon. So who's the pack leader now?"

"Tony."

"Oh... Bronx's obnoxious pup."

Simon was a very elderly wolf. He had white and grey on cheeks and legs. He was older than Winston and Tony, but he was a large wolf. Stone guessed his longevity came from his diet of fruits and vegetables.

"Owww!" Stone yipped, looking at his broken paw.

"Oh, let me help you with that," said Simon as he went and grabbed an onion. "Here, eat this."

"I'm not eating this!"

"JUST EAT IT!" growled Simon. Stone quickly ate the onion. Suddenly, the pain in Stone's paw disappeared.

"Whoa..." He moved his paw around.

"Don't move it! It may not hurt anymore, but it's still broken. The onions are just to kill the pain. Here." He went to the back of the cave and got a piece of wet tree bark and wrapped it around Stone's paw. "So what's your short story?"

"What?"

"You know. What's your origin?"

"Well, I don't really have an origin," said Stone. "Stormfast's mom, Debby, fostered me. She said I came from the river that lies between the Eastern and Western Packs, the Dividing River."

"Hmm, not a real Eastern, eh? Who's Stormfast?"

"Oh, my ex-best friend? Last night I was captured by humans, and when I called him to save me he ran away like a coward like he didn't care me anymore." Simon startled laughing again. "It's not funny!" growled Stone.

"Oh, but, my precious jewel," the old wolf said with a snicker, "I was laughing at the Easterns, the fact that Stormfast and Bronx, both pure Easterns, did this to us."

"Are you suggesting revenge?"

"If you want to rebuke Stormfast, then yes," Simon replied. Stone thought for minutes.

"How 'bout I give you a deal. I'll go along with revenging the Eastern Pack if you help me organize a pack of my own."

"That's not a fair deal. You know it takes a while to make a pack. Plus, you don't even have a mate," said Simon.

"Oh, don't worry," Stone said with a smile. "The pack is going to be the foundation of which revenge can be best served from."

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**Next -** Chapter 5: Terra


	5. Chapter 5: Terra

Chapter 5: Terra **(Originally written in the spring of 2012. Revised in July 2013 and again from October 3rd to November 8th, 2019)**

Terra was a few trees away when she heard the sound of something collide with something else. She figured maybe something was in trouble, and she ran to the site.

"Hello? Are you okay?" There, in front of a tree was a black wolf lying on his face. She put two and two together and realized he smacked into a tree. He was the first male wolf she had seen in a while. She used her paw and flipped him over so she could see his face, then she tapped on his head. "Hello. Who are you?" she asked. He started to open his eyes.

"Huh? What's going on?" Stormfast said in a drowsy manner. When his senses returned, he immediately got on all fours and backed away from the she-wolf. "Whoa. How long have you been here?" Terra was a pure white wolf with light brown patches on the toes of all four of her paws.

"Well you crashed into that tree, and I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Wait, are there more?"

"More wolves? Uh, no. There used to be my sister, Rhys."

"I mean pack wolves!"

"No pack wolves here, just me, a lone wolf," she replied dismally.

"*sigh* Did you at least see the lake?"

"There's a lake? I've only known the thick forest."

"I should never have followed that caribou!" he barked to himself, slamming his paw on the grass. "I see why Bronx wanted to eat eggs."

"Umm, who are you?" Terra asked.

"Oh, my name's Stormfast." He lifted one of his front paws up for a pawshake. She pawshaked him.

"My name's Terra."

"Terra, Terra... I know that name. It's Old Wolfish for 'water'."

"How did you know that? My dad told me that's what I was named after."

"It's part of my Alpha School training. They teach ya' history."

"You're an Alpha?" said Terra. "I was ranked an Omega, but I've left my pack."

"Wait, where did you come from?" Terra started panicking.

"Please! Stormfast! I don't want to talk about that!" she screamed.

"Okay, geez! I won't!"

"Oh great!" said yelled in frustration. "My father killed my best friend, so my sister and I ran away from our pack! There, I said it!" she blurted out.

"What? What the heck?! Is that information I needed to know?" Stormfast didn't know what to think.

"Sorry! I can't tell a lie... Or at least if I do, I can't keep it for long!" He wanted to calm her down. She was clearly having a panic attack.

"Listen to me. It's fine. Umm... is there any den or cave around here?" He looked straight in her eyes.

"Yes, a bit far from here."

**Later...**

It was a large den in the ground. Bears could fit in it. In front of the den was a river that flowed west to east.

"How did you find this?" asked the black wolf.

"I just came across it." The river reminded Stormfast of the other river, the one that took him away from the Eastern Pack and dumped him at the lakeshore. If he wasn't distracted by the caribou, he would've found that river and followed it back home. The thought of food made his stomach rumble again.

"Anything to eat?"

"The river's right there. Maybe you could catch some fish," said Terra. Stormfast wasn't sure if he wanted to do that. He had his fill with rivers lately.

**Meanwhile...**

"So how do the onions work?" asked Stone. The vegetable's amazing healing properties astounded him.

"How am I supposed to know?" Simon replied. "Works wonders."

They were both sitting in front of Simon's garden that he kept behind his den. Stone had never seen such a thing. "You know, you're the first wolf I've seen who reminded me of me."

"Really?" said Stone.

"Yeah. Most wolves that pass through here are lone wolves like you, sometimes Eastern scouts." Simon looked at the sky. "Hmm... Looks like storm clouds. Rain may not be easy on my fur, but it is easy on my garden."

"How did you plow the ground?"

"I used my claws." Stone nearly threw up knowing that Simon's dirty claws had touched the onions he had been eating.

Suddenly, the sky rumbled. "Stone, I need you to go back into the den."

"Why?"

"None of your business!" he growled. Stone returned to the den, but he could still hear the old wolf. "Alright now. Make sure you get as much water as you need. Your dad will be in the den if you need him!"

"Man," said Stone. "Talking to plants?"

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**Next -** Chapter 6: Fallen Pack


	6. Chapter 6: Fallen Pack

Chapter 6: Fallen Pack **(Originally written sometime between mid-2012 and early 2013.**** Revised on October 4th, 2019)**

**That night...**

It was raining outside. Stormfast and Terra were staying in the riverside den. Lightning filled the night sky.

"Stormfast," said Terra, trembling. "I'm afraid of the sky fire."

"The lightning?"

"If that's what you call it," she replied.

"Maybe if you go to sleep, you won't be able to hear or see it." Terra started blushing. She had a question to ask him, but she wasn't sure if it was right to ask.

"Well, can you howl me a song then?"

"What?" The black wolf was surprised. Songs were usually associated with calming cranky pups.

"I know it's too much to ask, but my mom usually howls me a song to put me to sleep during a storm."

"I don't know..."

"Oh, please!" She smiled, showing all her teeth. She made a puppy's whimpering face. That did it.

"*sigh* Fine. I'm gonna howl umm... Fallen Pack."

"What's that?"

"It's a song that has been passed down from my great-grandfather, Isaac. The lyrics are his point of view during the War of the Divide."

"What's the War of the Divide?" she asked.

"The song will explain."

**(Howling Starts)**

**I used to rule the land**

**They loaded meat when I gave the command**

**Now every night I go hide away**

**And count all the moons and all of the days**

**...**

**Wolves would cheer my way**

**For a hero I was; that's what they'd say**

**One minute we had it all**

**Next, our world began to fall**

**Away from all that had once become**

**They all cried for my help, but I stood there numb**

**...**

**I gazed up into the boundless skyline**

**Wolf choirs howling in the sunshine**

**Turned around, bared my fangs and my claws**

**The things that once forced our enemy's paws**

**And I hope one day that this chaos and**

**Destruction turns for the better**

**Always claws in my paws**

**As I feared that I would fall**

**(Howling Stops)**

"Sounds rough," said Terra before yawning. The lightning outside ceased.

"Yep. Our pack at the time, the Grand Pack, was being divided. In a great war, we split into two sides that eventually became the Eastern and Western Packs. I'm from the Eastern Pack."

"When was this war?" Terra asked.

"It ended about eleven years ago, but the war itself lasted about two and a half years," he answered.

"Could you please continue the song? I want to learn more."

**(Howling Starts)**

**As the Easterns and Westerns grinned**

**They tore down trees and cornered me in**

**Claws slashing by like streaks of light**

**I did all that I could to stay and fight**

**...**

**As the destruction wrecked the laws**

**The pack broken at my paws**

**My life itself suspended by stem**

**Oh, why was it that I wasn't dead?**

**...**

**I gazed up into the boundless skyline**

**Wolf choirs howling in the sunshine**

**Turned around, bared my fangs and my claws**

**The things that once forced our enemy's paws**

**And I hope one day that this chaos and**

**Destruction turns for the better**

**Always claws in my paws**

**As I feared that I would fall**

**(Howling Stops)**

Stormfast looked at Terra and smiled. The thought that maybe she would be a good partner entered his mind, but he dismissed it. She was sweet, but he had his duties. He wanted to go home. He wanted to say all of his apologies to Stone if, that is, he remained in his cage at Moonlight Howl Rock. Stormfast wondered if maybe it was too late, that Stone's entrails were already being traded among the human communities. Why did they have to come and ruin everything?

In an alternate timeline, he would still be hanging out with Lisa, and Stone would be hanging out with Winter.

"_I missed my date,_" Stormfast whispered. Terra was lying next to the den wall. He went to the wall on the other side of the den directly across from her and laid there. What dream would he have?

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 7: Stormfast's Dream


	7. Chapter 7: Stormfast's Dream

Chapter 7: Stormfast's Dream **(Originally written sometime between mid-2012 and early 2013. Revised on October 5th, 2019)**

It was winter in the Eastern territory. The Betas had just finished their grass drills. During their break, Stormfast and Stone were playing near the Dividing River.

"I'm the leader of this pack now, so that means you have to do as I say!" said a young Stormfast who was sitting on a large rock.

"You know, Storm, I don't think you have the guts to be leader," Stone taunted.

"Why do you say that?" Stone didn't know how to reply at first but then...

"Well, umm... you gotta give a command!" Stormfast nodded and patted Stone on the back.

"Okay. I command you to uhh... hunt down some caribou and uhh... bring it to me!"

"Okay, sir," Stone answered. He started plucking out some grass. "Pretend this is caribou meat."

"*sniff, sniff* I smell apples," said Stormfast.

"Oh, it's just me. That's my natural scent."

"Really? I did not know that." Stone changed the subject back.

"Here is the meat to feed your family, sir." He pushed the pile towards his friend.

"Thanks, Stone." Stormfast then broke the pretense. "You know, I bet I will be a real pack leader someday. Maybe in the next few seasons."

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Yes?" Stormfast wasn't sure if he truly felt that way. "What do you mean?"

"So you want to become a lone wolf, find a mate, and start your own pack, in other words, ditching me here?!"

"No, no! Of course not! C'mon, you know me." Stormfast then looked over Stone's shoulder and saw his cousin a hundred yards away. "Hey, look who's behind you."

"What...?" The two wolves waved at Garth.

"Who are those other Betas waving at us?" Tony asked his son.

"Oh, just my best friend and my cousin," said a young Garth.

After the pack leader and Garth left their sight, Stormfast and Stone looked back at each other. (*RUMBLE! Splash!*)

"Uhh... Stone! I command you to save me!"

"Stormfast, get out of there!" yelled Stone.

"Does it look like I can?!" A landslide had pulled Stormfast into the river. "Stone! HELP! *gasp!* Help! Anyone! Hello! *gasp*" (*splash!*) He tried to keep his muzzle above the water. He looked downstream and noticed a bank he could possibly catch. He grabbed onto it and dangled there. "Stone, where are you; I can't hang here for long!" Stone then showed up.

"Storm, grab my paw!" he shouted while reaching out for him. Stormfast grabbed his paw, and Stone pulled him out from the bank.

"*gasp!* Thank you, bro."

"Hey, friends stick together."

**Suddenly...**

Stormfast woke up. Terra was still sleeping.

"*sigh* Worst dream ever," he groaned.

**Meanwhile...**

"After all I've done for you," muttered Stone. Simon was supposedly sleeping across from him. His broken paw still rested on the raised area of the floor. "I mean, I've saved his life like many times, and he does nothing in return." Simon then appeared to wake up.

"Hey, lad. Is there any chance this Stormfast character is related to Tony?"

"Yeah. Bronx had two sons: Tony and Owen. Owen is Stormfast's father."

"Hmm... I didn't know that," said Simon.

"To be fair, you haven't been to the Eastern Pack in who knows how long. Do you at least know Tony has a son named Garth?"

"Great. 'Garth.' Sounds like 'barf,'" he grumbled.

"Yeah, he gets that a lot."

"Anyway, I'm going back to sleep." Stone then looked at his broken paw. The onion painkiller was wearing off.

"Owww!" he screamed.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 8: The Waterfall Wolf


	8. Chapter 8: The Waterfall Wolf

Chapter 8: The Waterfall Wolf **(Originally written in 2012 or 2013. Revised on October 8th, 2019)**

**The next morning...**

"*yawn* Simon?" Simon wasn't in the cave. "Owww!" Stone yipped as he tried to move his right front paw. He heard digging outside. he slowly limped and went to behind the cave where Simon was at his garden. He was digging to make room for beets. Meanwhile, Stone's stomach growled. "You know, Simon, you might be an herbivore, but I'm not, so can we go and hunt some moose or caribou?"

"You can go hunt," said Simon. "I gave up hunting a long time ago."

"But my paw is broken!"

"Then go fishing! There's a stream not too far here."

**Later...**

Stone limped into a mist. He heard the sound of a waterfall. He soon came to the top of the falls. The water only dropped about seven feet. But when he looked down he saw... her. Near the bottom of the falls was a wolf lying in a shallow area next to the plunge pool. he went down a steep hill to take a closer look.

She was a wood-colored wolf. She had a big wound on her flank. She looked barely alive; she could still breathe.

"Who are... you?" she said very weakly.

"I'm Stone. I think you need some help."

"No... No, I'm fine," she said.

"No, I'm going to make this right. I'm not going to let you die here. What's your name?"

"Rhys," she answered. Stone then ran to Simon.

"Simon! Simon! Simon!"

"What, lad? What did you see?"

"There's a wounded wolf at the stream! Follow me!" He started running back.

"You know, if he's an Eastern, I'm not helping him!"

"It's a she!" said Stone.

**Later...**

"Right here!" Stone pointed at Rhys.

"*sniff* Doesn't smell like an Eastern." Stone rolled his eyes. "This will take time to heal. Stone, will you go and get an onion from my den?" Stone quickly ran to his cave. Simon then went to a tree and ripped out a piece of bark before soaking it in the stream to make it flexible. He wrapped it around her. Stone soon came back.

"Is she okay?" he asked, giving him the onion.

"Not really. If she can stop bleeding, she might survive." Stone started to worry for sure. Her blood was still trickling down. "Here. You grab her head. I'll grab her hind legs, and we'll carry to my den."

They took her to Simon's cave. "I need you to take your paw that's not broken and put pressure on the wound." Stone placed his left paw on the wound that was covered in wet bark. "If you need me, I'll be outside." Simon then went back to his beets.

"Thank you," said Rhys.

"Oh, please. Save your strength," Stone replied. "Here. Have this onion."

"Oh, Stone, I wish I liked onions."

"Just eat it. It will kill the pain. It may not smell good or taste good, but you don't judge a wolf by its fur."

"*sigh* Fine," she capitulated. She took a bite out of the onion. All of a sudden, she stood up.

"What the...? I feel great!"

"Well, that's how it works," said Stone.

"I guess you're right." She stood up all the way and slammed her head against the cave ceiling. "Wow, that didn't even hurt!" She went to Stone and hugged him before quickly backing away. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's okay!"

"What happened to your paw?" asked Rhys.

"Oh, I broke it rolling down a hill."

"Sounds like it hurt."

"Well, not as bad as your injury."

"*sniff, sniff* Hee, hee," she giggled.

"What is it?"

"You smell like apples."

"I think you should lie down."

"Oh, right," she said, sitting. "How do the onions work? Is there a secret to them?"

"Works wonders," Stone replied.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 9: Eastern Pack History


	9. Chapter 9: Eastern History

Chapter 9: Eastern History **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 10th, 2019)**

"Please tell me more," said Terra. The two wolves were still in the cave.

"It seems like you're interested in my pack's history," said Stormfast.

"Well, they don't teach much if anything in Omega School."

"Well, this is the history of us," Stormfast replied. "Long, long ago, there was a wolf named Canis. He came into Valley at the same time as a female wolf did and they mated. Her name was Keila, but the Westerns call her Floran for some reason. Anyway, they made the first family and organized the first pack in the Valley. Their original territory was only about one square mile, and a river that flowed south split the land in two: East and West sides. It's the same river I fell in, the one that brought me to you."

"So you fell in a historic river?"

"Yeah, funny way to remember it," he chuckled. "So Canis was the first pack leader here, and his descendants succeeded him. Next, it was his firstborn, August, then Marish, then Felix, then Mathew, then Tobias, then eventually Logan."

"That's a lot of leaders," said Terra

"Yeah, we're old. Every pack or group of packs has their own original lone wolf ancestors. Ours just lived much longer ago."

"In my Omega School, they did mention my pack's original lone wolf ancestor. His name was Calvin."

"What is the name of your pack?" asked Stormfast.

"The Pack of Honesty. We have a thing where we always tell the truth so much so that our neighboring pack, the Northern River Pack, called us that."

"Well, after Logan was Trey and after Trey was Cedar and after Cedar was Isaac." Terra then gasped. "In the first year or so of his reign, everything was fine... until a top Alpha named Joseph went to Isaac one day. Joseph lived on the west side of the river. He told him that wolves from the East were stealing caribou from their side. At the time, wolves could cross the river by way of tree trunks that had fallen over, and Joseph caught some Easterns trying to cross over with caribou on their backs; however, Isaac disregarded Joseph because it seemed he just had a bone to pick with the Easterns and that made Joseph mad, so he took things into his own paws. He said he would not hunt or train Betas until something was done about the stealing, but Isaac ignored him. The West began to starve, and Joseph galvanized them by blaming Isaac. The west portion of the pack then secedes and declared war on the eastern half, and that's how the War of the Divide started. They kept fighting and Isaac couldn't do anything about it. Both sides secluded him. Joseph became the leader of the newly-formed Western Pack and an Omega-turned-Alpha named Peter became the first Eastern Pack leader. Near the end of the war, Peter was sent to kill Isaac." Terra gasped again. Stormfast continued. "They tracked him down to the edge of the Dividing River. He was sitting on the last surviving tree bridge when they found him and they surrounded him. He then jumped into the river, committing suicide. At the same time, the tree bridge broke, and the pieces got washed away along with his body."

"Wow," said Terra. "I'm glad my pack hasn't had a civil war."

"Well, that's not it. Legend has it that before Isaac jumped, he cursed the Valley. He looked at the wolves who wanted to kill him and said, '_Two sides, both alike in smell, determination, and purpose and yet our brothers are stained with wolfish flesh. If I die now, you will curse this river for my family and the packs you have created. Also, perhaps you'll suffer more loss, making your purpose here tonight inert. I am ashamed that my once great pack has scarred themselves. And the only way to bring your greatness back now is more than just to unite again. Farewell..._' Everybody calls it the River Curse."

"Spooky," said Terra.

"After the war, Isaac's mate gave birth to Bronx, my grandfather, who became the Eastern Pack leader after Peter died with no heirs." That's when Stormfast suddenly had a realization. He remembered that Bronx had accidentally fallen in the Dividing River just like he did recently. He connected the dots and gasped. "I'm a part of the River Curse!"

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 10: Sparks


	10. Chapter 10: Sparks

Chapter 10: Sparks **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 15th, 2019)**

Stormfast realized he was a part of the curse. Ever since Isaac said those words before jumping in the river, it seemed that the generations after him had fallen into the river. He said the river would be cursed for his family. It couldn't be a coincidence. Isaac's son, Bronx, famously fell in the Dividing River on accident. He was even nicknamed, the River Wolf. Of course, Stormfast himself had fallen in the river the day before yesterday. Stormfast hadn't heard of his late father, Owen, or Tony fall in the river, but he was sure it probably did happen to both of them. It was just not public.

"Stormfast? Are you okay?" said Terra. The black wolf snapped out of it.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He gave her a broken smile before going outside. He looked into the nearby river. There, it showed his reflection. _Will I fall into the river again? Will my future pups? _he thought. He knew whether he liked it or not, his life was tied to that river between the East and West. Instead of the Dividing River, he was going to call it Destiny River.

Before he could ponder more, something caught his nose. "*sniff, sniff* Hey, Terra. Check this out." She exited the cave and came to him.

"What is it?"

"Do you smell that?"

"Dead caribou," she replied. Both of them then ran towards the smell.

**Later...**

A few hundred yards east of the riverside den was a small grassy plain. In the middle of the plain was caribou meat.

"_Memphis,_" Stormfast whispered. Not too far from the carcass was a very small den. Stormfast's stomach growled. He stretched his neck in an attempt to take a bite without being heard.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, mate," said a voice. A grey wolf came out of the den. "Why I oughta'—"

"Please don't hurt us!" the couple cried in unison. They hugged each other in terror. The grey wolf laughed in response.

"Heh, heh. Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"Ahh, thank you!" said Stormfast.

"But maybe I will if you two don't get out of here in the next five seconds!"

"Wait, wait wait! What is that?" said Terra. Around the grey wolf's neck was a chain of small bones.

"None of your business!" he barked.

"No, no! They look familiar. I saw some other bones that have eerily similar markings." The news struck the grey wolf.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"It's a femur, and it is a bit far from here, but I can bring you there."

"_We're really doing this?_" Stormfast whispered to her. She then elbowed him in the chest to quiet him. Stromfast didn't like the idea of bringing a stranger to a place he didn't know of but as long as Terra got it over with fast he followed.

The couple was on their way, but the grey wolf remained still.

"Well? Are you coming?" said Terra.

"Wait! I uhh... have to do something first." He ran to his den. He took off his necklace and laid it on the ground. He then licked one of his forepaws and touched one of the bones with that paw.

"_Be right back, Mum,_" he whispered to it. He exited the den, smiling at the two wolves he just met. "Coming!"

**Meanwhile...**

"So what happened to you?" asked Stone. Rhys frowned.

"I got caught in a river with my sister, and I was trying to get out. For some reason, she kept pushing me to the left side of the stream. We then fell down the waterfall. She landed in the water while I landed on the rocks. When I woke up, she was gone. She left me for dead." Stone was now mad at the sister.

"Who's this sister?"

"Oh, my Omega sister, Terra."

"Why would she do that to someone like you? I think she's jealous of your Alpha status and wanted to get rid of you once she had the chance."

"You know what? You're right!" said Rhys. "I mean, there are lots of qualities I have over her."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 11: The Bone Message


	11. Chapter 11: The Bone Message

Chapter 11: The Bone Message **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised from October 17th to November 21st, 2019)**

There, in the grass was a bone.

"Ahh, thank you uhh... What your names?"

"I'm Stormfast," said the black wolf, "and she's Terra."

"Well, you two mates made my day," he replied. "I guess I won't have to hurt you. My name's Sparks, but my mum called me Sparky."

"Well, Sparky. I've been wanting to ask you if we can have a little of your caribou. We have not eaten in a while."

"Sure, Stormfast. Have all of it."

"R-really?" Terra stuttered.

"Yep. I only hunted it for extra. I could always hunt more."

"Well, that's very kind of you." She then licked his cheek.

"Aw, that was not necessary," said Sparks, blushing. Stormfast couldn't take it.

"Okay! That's enough adventure for one day, so we best be going now."

"Wait!" Terra shouted.

"What is it?!" Sparks and Stromfast yelled together but for different reasons individually.

"Look! Another bone!" They looked to where she was pointing. Another bone not far from them was there. But this bone had completely different markings. Sparks immediately pounced on it before picking it up and laughing loudly.

"What is it? said Stromfast. All of them looked closely at their surroundings. There were bones scattered all over the vicinity with several places having a greater concentration than others. Sparks was jumping in excitement.

"You two!" He pointed at them. "Find as many bones as you can and group right here!" He then pointed at the area in front of him.

**Later...**

As Terra and Stromfast were searching and gathering another bone caught Sparks's eye. It was a skull. He started sniffing it. He immediately recognized who the wolf once was. His mind and his memories stirred. The bones were his father's. Jonah was his name. Sparks started to cry. Terra noticed it.

"Hey?" She walked up to him feeling worried. "What's wrong?" Her voice was soft and sweet. Stormfast soon came to the scene.

"What's this?" Terra shushed him.

"_He's having a moment._" She turned back to the grey wolf. "Do you know what this is about?"

"_This is my father,_" he replied under his breath, trembling. "A long time ago he left to hunt, but he never came back." Terra could feel the pain. Her father became crazy. He had killed her best friend. "And now I know why," he sobbed. He then knocked over the skull with his paw out of sorrow. As he continued crying on Terra's shoulder, Terra saw script below. Where the skull had lain there was yet another bone, but it was not of a wolf. Terra read the engravings and pushed Sparks around.

"Look, Sparky! Your father's words." He gasped at the gnawed text. It read:

**_Dear son if you are still alive,_**

**_I have just been hit in the chest by what I think was a moose. I think I might go to the place I told you was heaven. I want you to know that your mother and I had always loved you. And even though the birth of our pack was not successful, we had a great time, and that's all that matters. I am sorry I cannot be there for you. I hope you can forgive me, Sparky._**

**_Jonah_**

"Sparky, I am so sorry for your loss," said Terra. "I feel you. I had once suffered loss before." Stormfast felt a twinge in his stomach. He liked her empathy.

_Was this love?_ he thought. _It couldn't be. We just met._ He dropped the subject from his mind.

"Thank you, mates. I hope we see each other again."

"Okay!" Terra replied. "Thank you for the caribou and the company."

**Later...**

On the way back to the riverside den, Stormfast's mind wandered. Something had sparked between Terra and the grey wolf. And he was starting to have feelings for her too. She was sweet. She was a beautiful wolf. She loved howling. She had the tenacity of an Alpha even after she saw her best friend die in front of her very eyes. A spirit like that shouldn't be wasted.

"Such a sweet couple," Sparks said to himself. Unlike what Stormfast thought, Sparks had no interest in Terra. I anything, he thought she was interested in Stormfast. Sparks was too busy thinking about his parents to focus on romance. He brought the bones of Jonah to his den and laid them next to his mother's. He looked at both piles and smiled. "Thanks, guys."

Sparks was a lone wolf, but he was the kind who avoided pack life. His parents, though, were lone wolves who wanted to create a pack. Things were going swell until his mother died. A bear had come and taken her life. His father stayed by her side until her final breaths. One day, Jonah told Sparks that he was going on a small hunting trip, but he never returned, leaving Sparks, who was still a pup, to live alone. For the longest time, all he had was his mother's bones in the tiny den. He clawmarked them all, so he would never forget them. He also made a necklace using dried caribou muscle to string paw bones together. He wore it at all times except when he hunted or ventured far. He had little knowledge of the world beyond his den due to a lack of education. Almost everything he knew he learned himself. He had to survive. He knew other packs probably existed, but he avoided pack life to focus on remembering his late parents. It was the only thing he really cared about.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 12: The New Borders


	12. Chapter 12: The New Borders

Chapter 12: The New Borders **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 22nd, 2019)**

As Stone and Rhys were talking in the cave Simon finished his garden for the season.

"Looking good." He was pleased with himself. Now was the time he could get to business. He walked to the mouth of the cave to meet his friend. "Hey, Stone. I need you," he called.

"Okay. Excuse me, Rhys." He went outside to Simon. They started strolling. "So whatcha' need?" said Stone.

"This is about the new pack."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, no. It's just I need you to decide where you want the borders of the new pack to be." The young wolf grinned.

"Oh, okay." Simon drew a wavy line in the dirt.

"Pretend this is the Dividing River." He drew an oval shape attached to the bottom end of the line. "This is the lake."

"Alright. I get it." Simon drew another oval on top of the line, making the shape look like it was cracked into two halves.

"These territories are the Eastern and Western Packs." He then put a single dot southeast of the drawing of the Eastern Pack. "This is where we are."

"So what do you recommend?" Stone questioned.

"In my opinion, the pack should be here to here." He drew a circular shape around the dot. The imagined territory was much smaller than the Eastern's or Western's. But for a new pack, it was considered huge.

"Whatever you say, Simon. You're the expert." Rhys came up to them. The two males panicked as their scheme was in sight.

"Hey, guys. What are two talking about?"

"Oh, uhh... we were just talking about uhh... What should I say?" Stone mumbled. "I guess I should say the truth. Don't worry, Simon. I got this." Rhys followed him to the garden. Rhys didn't know what was going on. It was a simple question. "Here, I'll explain. Do you remember when we talked about your sister, Terra, and how you said she made you fall on sharp rocks?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, there's a wolf named Stormfast, and uhh... he left me to humans!" he yelled. Rhys gasped.

"Oh, that must be horrible!" She hugged him. "That's many times worse than what happened to me!" she cried.

"Don't worry, Rhys. Don't cry!" He tried to calm her down. "He'll get what's coming to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I promised Simon that I would help him revenge our old pack. And he promised me that he would help me form my own pack 'cause it's my dream." She stopped crying. "So we were just talking about where the new borders should be."

"Oh, I see."

"Stone!" Simon called.

"I gotta go," said Stone.

"Okay," Rhys replied. She watched Stone leave her. She now felt sorry for him. To be captured by humans and survive was amazing, but the fact that another wolf... this wolf of sorts, this wolf of mystery... would leave him like that and betray his own kind, his own friend, his own packmate... To Rhys, it was a cruel joke. Whoever Stormfast was, she would claw his eyes out.

Meanwhile, Stone and Simon were wondering what to call the river where Rhys was discovered.

"How 'bout Stone's River?" said Simon.

"No, no. You're too nice."

"Oh, it's your pack." The old wolf pointed at his chest. It made him feel special and important. He was top Alpha.

"Oh, fine. I guess so."

"So what do you want the name of the pack to be?"

"Hmm... I don't want to rush for it today, so, for now, I'll call it Stone's Pack."

"Okay," Simon accepted. Stone wondered how Simon opened up, for he was usually much grumpier.

_Maybe he just needed some company,_ he thought.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 13: Love for Another


	13. Chapter 13: Love for Another

Chapter 13: Love for Another **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 24th, 2019)**

Stormfast and Terra were in their cave. A full moon was in the sky. Stormfast was sitting at the mouth of the cave staring at the brightest thing outside. Terra was getting a bit worried about him. He was acting strange since they met Sparks. In Stormfast's mind, something else was going on. Terra was onto him, he thought. She's in love with somebody; he just knew it. The moon just watched him. He couldn't help it. He tilted his head back and howled although he was agitated about the subject. Terra noticed it.

"Stormfast? Is something wrong?"

"Uhh, no."

_He **is** hiding something,_ thought Terra. _What could it be? It could have something to do with Sparky. _She walked up to him to find more information. Stormfast was becoming paranoid.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you want to talk about something."

"Heh, heh... There's nothing to talk about," he said with a sluggish smile. Terra was not amused.

"Are you sure?!" She held an ear close to his mouth. Stormfast just backed away.

"Yes. I'm positive," he assured her. Terra couldn't hold it any longer.

"Come on, Stromfast! I know what you're thinking!"

"You do?"

"Yes, I do!" Her voice scared him.

"I didn't think you knew."

"Do you think I'm stupid? Sluggish words. Eyes rolling. Sweaty paws." He smelled his paws and they stunk. "So spill!" she demanded. Stormfast stayed quiet. "SPILL!" she barked. A kind-hearted wolf suddenly turned into Stormfast's worst nightmare. He was so scared to death that he blurted it out.

"Okay, I thought you were in love with Sparky! There! I said it!"

"What?!" She was astonished. "You thought I was in love with Sparky?!"

"There! You happy now?!" Stormfast continued. "You think the world will be better?! You think all the rest of your life will be better?! You think the truth will set you free?! Well, it doesn't! I learned that the hard way!" All of that made Terra cry. She ran outside. Stormfast now knew he made a mistake. What had he done? He ran after her. "Terra, wait!"

She looked at her reflection in the river.

"You know," she spoke quietly, "I'm having a rough time. My friend had died. I lost my sister. I just hoped that someone would understand and care about me without keeping secrets." Stormfast was about to head back to the cave to sleep when Terra added: "Oh, and, by the way, I wasn't in love with Sparky. I was in love with you." Those words made Stormfast feel deeply sorry for her.

There was a time when Stormfast did learn the costs of being secretive. It was back when he was still a Beta. Stormfast had kept a secret that Stone had howled with an Omega. Tony eventually his nephew to spill by threatening to feed him to the Westerns. He punished Stone by forbidding him from howling outside Moonlight Howl Rock forever, and he punished Stormfast by forbidding him from howling anywhere for two moons. But the rules only applied if they lived in their pack where Tony had jurisdiction. Stormfast figured Stone was probably way out of Jasper to follow the rules.

"How could he think that?" Terra was talking to herself. "I guess he could. I mean, I did kiss him on the cheek. Still, how did he see a spark between us?" Terra really did love Stormfast. He was sweet, brave, wasn't much of a yeller, and was usually optimistic. Though, after the recent scene, she was not sure if she loved him now. She did not like wolves who kept secrets. She liked someone who wasn't afraid to say something personal. In the event that someone would do that, she would automatically thank him or her for their bravery of facing their fears.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 14: A Spring Cave


	14. Chapter 14: A Spring Cave

Chapter 14: A Spring Cave **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 24nd, 2019)**

Stormfast and Terra were lying on opposite sides in the bear-sized cave. Although it was morning and they were awake, they both wanted to sleep. After last night, they just wanted to stay away from each other.

A while later, Terra began to feel hungry. The caribou from yesterday did not satisfy her for long. She then stood up and went outside. After she exited she took a look inside. She could tell Stormfast was fake-sleeping.

"I'll be right back." Stormfast heard it but pretended he didn't. Terra went on.

_Did she forgive me?_ he thought.

**Meanwhile...**

His name was Bob. He was a bear.

He had just finished hibernation, the time when certain animals take long sleeps through the winter. But winter was over. Today was the fourth day of spring. He had just left his winter den and was now heading to his spring den. It was next to a river, so he had the option to go fishing, for that was what bear ate at this season. They could catch trout or salmon for their cubs to get fat for the next winter. However, Bob had no cubs or a mate because of something that happened a long time ago. A wolf attacked them, and he lost everything except his dignity. Since then he hated wolves.

Stormfast got up and looked out the cave. Terra was nowhere in sight. His mind was buzzing. Did she run away?

"No! She wouldn't do that," he told himself.

"AHHHHHH!" screamed a female voice. Stormfast became all alert. He ran out of the cave and looked in all directions in just a couple of seconds. "Stormfast!"

"Terra!" he yelled back. He immediately ran towards the sound as fast as he could.

He found her near the river but upstream from the cave. There she was, scared out of her mind. In front of her was a roaring bear! "Terra! Get behind me!" he ordered. Without hesitation, she got behind him. The bear growled at them. "Terra! Go and get Sparky!"

"But what about you?"

"GO NOW!" he demanded. "I'm an Alpha, remember?" That convinced her. She quickly ran around the bear and went to the plain to see Sparky clawmaking the bones she had found for him.

"Hey, Terra. How's it going?"

"Sparky, we need you right away!" He turned his smile upside down.

"What?! Okay." They both ran back to Stormfast.

"C'mon! Give me your best shot!" Stormfast shouted. The bear then stood on his hind legs, making him look like three times his size. Stormfast trembled in his shadow. The bear swatted him at high speed. (*SMACK!*) The impact slashed his face and sent him flying. He landed on a pile of leftover snow when Terra and Sparks arrived.

"Stormfast!" Terra came to his side. "I'm so sorry!" The blood from his face stained the snow red. "Sparky? What are you doing?" Sparks was staring at the bear, frozen.

From deep in his memories, something came back. It was the same bear that killed his mother! Jonah said he was dead but he wasn't. He probably said it to calm his son down. Sparks was now filled with anger and revenge. He charged toward the bear and headbutted him in the stomach. The bear swung his claws at him but only hit him with the backside of his paws. But one of them hit Sparks under his muzzle. He was pushed into a tree, but he was okay. He was not bleeding. He then got on the bear's back. The bear roared in terror as Sparks tried to bite him in the life-giving artery located in the neck. While the bear was distracted, Stormfast charged at him. The blow knocked him off his balance, and he started to fall backward. Sparks got off of his back to get out of the way. The river was right behind the bear. He was standing on the edge of the water. Sparks went in front of him.

"This is for Mum!" he shouted. He exhaled forcefully. The bear fell into the river and was swept away in the current. Sparks closed his eyes. "I hope you die in that river."

Stormfast dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Sparks came to his side. "Don't worry, mate. You're going to live through this." Terra started crying.

"I'm so sorry, Stormfast." Sparks went to the river and dipped his paws in the water. He went back to Stormfast and attempted to wipe the blood off his face which revealed three large slashes on his left cheek. Both Terra and Sparks gasped at how deep the lightning-like lines were. His face was so swollen he could barely talk.

"You know, Terra, I loved you too," he croaked.

"Really?" _He had loved me too?_ she thought.

"Yep."

"Well, I love you back." They both went closer to each other, and when their minds decided things were safe and sound they rubbed their noses together. Sparks just watched.

_I knew they were linked to each other,_ he thought. Although it had only been two days since they met, they felt that their destinies were interwoven and stuck like the threads in a spider's web. Sparks had only witnessed love once before. When he was a pup he saw the way his father looked into his mother's eyes, but he had never seen this kind of love. He couldn't quite understand it. His parents had never taught him of the mystical force, but he knew it as a force that brings animals together and a force that was called love.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 15: Standing United


	15. Chapter 15: Standing United

Chapter 15: Standing United **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised from October 24th to November 14th, 2019)**

Back at the Eastern and Western Packs, things had changed. A wolf by the name of Humphrey, who was an Omega, had fallen in love with an Alpha wolf named Kate. It was law across all wolf society that wolves of different ranks could not associate romantically. But despite the differences between the two wolves, they showed love anyway. Meanwhile, a territorial dispute between the packs was erupting into war. While they were bickering though, a stampede ran through them, and they thought they lost a loved one. Luckily the wolf survived. Since both sides were tired and felt a sense of unity after the whole incident, they decided to be as one. So now the packs were united as the Grand Pack once again.

At this moment, they celebrated the peace by having a royal marriage. They usually had royal marriages when Alpha males who were descendants of the pack leader fell in love with Alpha females, but the rule was changed. The pack leader's son or daughter could practically marry whomever they wished.

"I now present to you: Alpha Kate and Omega Humphrey!" Winston announced. They were starting the marriage now. The wolves were cheering. Humphrey and Kate were now standing on top of a flat boulder. Around them were wolves who assembled to watch them. The first step of marriage was to accept their partner's scent.

"So should you go first or me?" said Humphrey.

"Well, let's start together," Kate encouraged happily.

"Okay," he agreed. They started sniffing each other at the same time. During this, Winston was crying with joy.

_My little girl is grown up,_ he thought. _Now with her true love._ The next step was nibbling the ears. They both did just that.

Humphrey was a grey wolf with black on his tail, mane, and ears. One thing that Kate liked was his blue eyes. Usually, pups were born with blue eyes and then they change to brown or dark brown. Rarely did they change to turquoise, lavender, or remained blue. Also, she liked his howl. His voice was amazing! He could have the best howl the Grand Pack had ever seen!

The next step was to rub noses. Although they had done it before, it wasn't official until now. So they got close and closed their eyes. Garth was also watching the marriage. He was originally going to marry Kate, but he had not loved her just as she had not loved him. Now the final step was coming. This step was new. Tony and Winston walked to the East and West side of the boulder respectively. Tony spoke first.

"Do you, Alpha Kate, take Humphrey to be your trustworthy mate?"

"I do," Kate said with a smile. Winston spoke next.

"Do you, Omega Humphrey, take Kate to be your trustworthy mate?"

"Most definitely." They then rubbed noses again. The crowd was clapping with their paws. It was over. During the dispersal, Garth realized some wolves were missing.

"Oh, yeah, Stormfast and Stone. Where are those sly dogs?" Stone was one of his best friends and Stormfast was his only cousin. Many families were small in the Eastern territory. A lot of wolves blamed it on Isaac's River Curse. He did say the territory would suffer loss and they did. Garth had lost his mother last winter, and he was her only pup. Coincidentally, Stormfast was the only pup of Owen and Debby. Both of whom also died last winter. The Westerns didn't fare that much better. There were fewer early deaths, but families kept having one or two pups at a time instead of normal litters.

Garth had a mate now, a pure white wolf with lavender eyes. Her name was Lilly. She was awfully shy, but Garth would comfort her. They were both part of royal families, but neither of them wanted a big wedding, so they had a small one instead. Lilly, like Humphrey, was an Omega, but that didn't stop Garth. Love was too great to miss out on.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 16: Great Feelings.


	16. Chapter 16: Great Feelings

Chapter 16: Great Feelings **(Originally written in 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 26th, 2019)**

Rhys was muttering in the cave. Stone came in to see what the problem was.

"Rhys? Is there something wrong?" She acted like nothing bothered her.

"Oh, nothing." Stone knew she was lying, so he played along.

"So what are you doing in here?"

"Umm, I'm taking a break."

"A break from what?" She didn't know what to say now. "Rhys, I know you're playing."

"You do?"

"Yes. What is it that you're _really_ doing?" Stone sat across from her.

"*sigh* I was really sorry for you."

"Why?"

"The fact that Stormfast did that to you..." Stone now knew what this was about. He didn't blame her. She was just caring.

"I told you before. He will get what's coming to him," he assured her.

"What do you actually plan?"

"I don't have anything solid yet, but he lives at my old pack, the Eastern Pack. I'm helping Simon revenge that pack. That includes revenge on Stormfast."

"Well, I hope so. He deserves it."

"Just as Terra deserves it!" he added. As Stone was about to leave, he thought of something. "Hey, Rhys. Did you know that I was orphaned?"

"No, I didn't know that."

"Stormfast's mom took care of me."

"It seems insulting to be cared for by a family like that."

"Not all of them are terrible, just Stormfast." He began to frown. Rhys couldn't stand Stone upset.

"Please, Stone, don't be upset. It makes me upset." She tried to cheer him up. She grabbed one of his forepaws. "I'll do this revenge thing with you."

"You mean it?"

"Yes, for you." He hugged her.

"Thank you. You're such a great friend." Stone then walked out. Rhys noticed he was still limping. It was his broken paw. She wondered how he could bear the pain. She wondered how he could bear any pain. There was no other wolf she knew, at least in the Pack of Honesty, that went through that much pain.

**Meanwhile...**

They were in Sparks's den. Terra nor Stormfast wanted to stay in the riverside cave anymore, not with the fear of another bear attack. They both knew they couldn't stay in Sparks's den for long. His den was too small.

"I should have seen the signs," Stormfast spoke quietly. "I should have known it was a bear cave."

"Stop talking," Terra demanded. "Save your strength." She rubbed his wound. He clenched his jaws in response. It was obvious that it was painful. Little did they know that there was an onion sitting outside not far from them. None of them knew of its healing powers. Terra thought meat was the best medicine. "I'm going to get some more meat for us." She went out.

"Be careful," said Sparks.

"Take care of Storm," she replied. She went on. She was determined to get some meat... to help Stormfast. It would be hard. She was an Omega. They weren't trained to hunt. Their job was to keep peace within a pack and give dating advice. But she had run away. She was living a new life now, a life that would have ended short if Stormfast hadn't saved her. She wondered what her future would be. Would she spend the rest of her days alone with her true love? _Maybe,_ she thought. _Just maybe... we could have a pack of our own._

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 17: Meeting Again


	17. Chapter 17: Meeting Again

Chapter 17: Meeting Again **(Originally written in late 2012 or early 2013. Revised from October 26th to November 3rd, 2019)**

"Seems to be no meat here," Terra said, disgusted. Then she saw a bush filled with berries next to a small creek. "Hmm. Sorry Stormfast but berries are healthy." After she picked a few berries she noticed a figure on the other side of the creek about three feet from her. It was a wolf, a wolf with light brown fur. She knew immediately who it was: Rhys. "Sister! I am so glad to see you!" Rhys saw her and gasped.

"Stay away from me!" she barked.

"Rhys, what are you talking about?" Terra was confused by her sister's new behavior.

"You know what I'm talking about! You almost killed me on that waterfall, trying to make me fall onto the rocks! Well, guess what?! It worked! See this?!" Rhys displayed her right flank. The wound had healed a bit, but it was still easily visible.

"Idiot! I wasn't trying to kill you! I pushed you toward the rocks because the plunge pool can drown you if the current traps you underwater! I couldn't tell how much of a drop it was, but I didn't want to risk it, so I tried to save you! I survived, but I thought you were dead."

"Whatever, Terra. Hard to believe you came from the Pack of Honesty."

"Rhys, I am telling the truth!" Her sister turned around in contempt. Terra became angry. "Fine! I don't need you! Hey, guess what?! I've found my true love!" The last sentence made Rhys's ears stiffen, and she faced the white wolf again. "That's right!" she gloated. "He's a black, tough, Alpha wolf named Stormfast!"

_Stormfast!_ The name rang in Rhys's head. It was the wolf who left Stone to the humans! "Where's Stormfast!" she demanded. She filled with fury and revenge. "I'll rip him limb from limb!" The ferocity scared Terra.

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down."

"No! How could you do that? How could you be with that... that wolf!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Stormfast is the most caring wolf I've ever met." Rhys just laughed.

"He's hiding something. He has a dark side."

"Since when were you an expert of him?" Terra replied.

"'Cause I am," said a strange voice.

"Who are you?" Terra asked. He appeared out of the shadows. He was a white wolf with light brown spots on him. He also smelled like apples.

"My name is Stone," he said quietly. "And tell Stormfast that if he wants you to stay alive, he better come to me alone." Stone and Rhys then disappeared in the shadows.

_Did I just lose my sister?_ she thought. She did not know who Stone was, but he didn't sound good. She knew she had to tell Stormfast because her life was on the line.

**Later...**

Stormfast and Sparks were still in the den when Terra returned with a mouth full of berries.

"That's not meat," Stormfast said.

"Nope. It's better than meat," she told him.

"You're right! Berries are healthier!" Sparks blurted.

"Oh, but there's something else too. Sparky, I need you to give us some privacy."

"Uhh, okay." He exited his den.

"What is it?" Stormfast asked. He was lying on his side. He seemed half-asleep.

"While I was away I met my sister."

"Really? Where is she?"

"No, no. She's not here."

"Why?" he both said and thought.

"It's because there's another wolf she's associated with now, a wolf who calls himself Stone." Stormfast's eyes quickly widened.

"Say that again!" he shouted.

"A wolf who calls himself Stone."

"He's alive?! He escaped the humans?!"

"Wait, what? Stormfast, if there's something I don't know, please tell me. Did you do something bad to him?" Stormfast felt ashamed.

"Uhh, yeah. Three days ago he got captured by humans. I went to save him, but the humans showed up. I was scared, and I left him."

_That doesn't make sense,_ Terra thought. _How could such a nice wolf do something so unthinkable to another wolf?_ Betrayal was taken very seriously in wolf society. Wolves had to protect their fellow packmates no matter what. "Anyway, Stone said if he wanted me to live, you should come to him alone." Stormfast started crying.

"I'm sorry I put your life in danger because of my mistake."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 18: Being Pack Leader


	18. Chapter 18: Being Pack Leader

Chapter 18: Being Pack Leader **(Originally written in late 2012 or early 2013. Revised on October 27th, 2019)**

Mike was a red wolf. A couple of black patches covered his flanks. He used to be a guard for the Eastern Pack, but now he was a scout for the Grand Pack. He was already assigned a mission. New pack leader, Garth, told him to check if anything was wrong or different beyond the borders.

He had been traveling for some hours now. Nothing to report so far. He was a league away from the southeastern border of the pack when he noticed clawmarked trees. He also smelled two things: apples and a message. It was a scent mark. He tried to read it. It said: "Stone's Territory; northwestern border."

_I didn't know there was a pack here,_ he thought. He decided to tell Garth.

**Later...**

Garth was in what used to be the Western Pack's main den. It was a rock formation that stood on a hillside. A tree grew on top of the den. Its roots went downward in multiple directions like upside-down lightning. "Sir, there is an unknown pack a league away from our southeastern border."

"Really? Hmm... Must be new."

"What do we do?"

"Send them a treaty to keep peace between us."

"Yes, sir." The red wolf then exited the den. Lilly soon came in.

"Hi, honey."

"Hey, Lilly," he said back. He liked seeing her face. It made him feel good.

**Later...**

"Was that really Terra?" asked Stone.

"Yep. Omegas are so immature," said Rhys. They were back in Simon's cave.

"Where have you two been?" the old wolf asked.

"Oh, we met an old friend," answered Rhys.

"Oh." Simon was now not amused. At the moment, all he thought was revenging the Eastern Pack.

"Anyone here?" asked a voice. Simon looked back to see the red wolf.

"Over here, sir," said Simon. Mike came to them near the mouth of the cave.

"Mike, sir," he greeted. He held out his paw, and the two wolves shook paws.

"Name's Simon."

"Is this Stone's Pack?"

"Yes, sir," he answered. Stone was surprised at how well Simon was handling it.

"Well, I'm from the—" Simon interrupted him.

"Wait, wait. Let me guess. Eastern Pack."

"Eh, not exactly," the red wolf replied. "No, the packs united." Simon was astonished.

_How could such wolves unite back? _

"Grand Pack leader, Garth, sent me to ask your pack leader for a peace agreement." Simon took one look at Stone.

"He's right here, sir." Mike looked at him.

"Hmm... He's a bit young. Well then, do you want peace?" Simon gestured to Stone and shook his head 'no.'

"No, thank you," said Stone. Mike frowned.

"But... but... are you sure?"

"Yes. Positive."

"So you should be going," said Simon.

"Uhh... yes." The red wolf turned away and walked slowly towards the Grand Pack. When he was out of sight Simon burst with energy.

"Are you kidding me?! The packs united?! How could they?! What's worse, that 'barf' guy is in charge!" Stone changed the subject.

"Wait. Why no?" Simon turned back to him.

"Because. If they view us as potential enemies, they'll be obsessed with this territory that they won't see us attacking from other directions. If the packs are united, then both the East and West are fair game."

**Later...**

Garth was getting worried.

_Where were Stormfast and Stone?_ He decided to send a search party. "Hutch! Can-do!" he called.

"At your command, sir."

"I need you and a couple more Alphas to search the entire territory for Stormfast and Stone." Neither Hutch or Can-do knew of either wolf, but they knew better than to argue with their pack leader.

"Yes, sir." Mike then entered the den.

"Leader Garth, they didn't accept."

"What? No, no, no, no, no! I fear something."

"What is that you fear?" Hutch asked. Garth looked directly into his eyes.

"A possible future war."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 19: Nothing to Say


	19. Chapter 19: Nothing to Say

Chapter 19: Nothing to Say **(Originally written most likely in January or February 2013. Revised on October 27th, 2019)**

"What are we going to do?" asked Terra.

"I don't know. There's nothing we _can_ do," Stromfast spoke softly. "I can not go to Stone. I'm too weak."

"You're right," said Terra. Suddenly, Stormfast got an idea.

"Which means you have to go."

"What?" She was confused.

"Yes. You go and tell him I can't come right now. Do what you do best and tell the truth. He should understand. He's my brother."

"Okay, I will tell him, but what if he takes me anyway?"

"He won't. Take Sparky with you." Terra licked his muzzle.

"I'll be back. Hopefully."

**Later...**

"I'd like to see the look on his face now," Stone snickered. Rhys watched him walk in circles. Simon was gazing at his garden. Some of his crops began sprouting. He used to be a great hunter, but that was a long time ago. He did not know much about hunting now.

Terra was nearby, hiding behind a couple of bushes. She felt scared to come out. It seemed to her that Stone was a very aggressive wolf. In reality, he wasn't. Garth was considered the best Alpha of the East with Stormfast after him.

"For Stormfast," she told herself. She came out of the bushes, regretting it almost immediately. Stone noticed her.

"Where's Stormfast?!" he barked.

"He... he can't come."

"What? Why?" Terra didn't want to let Stone think her true love was stupid enough to go head-to-head with a bear, so she said something else.

"He's sick. He has distemper."

_Sick? No doubt. Stormfast's mom and dad died of sickness._

"Yes, he's too weak to come to you." Stone thought more for a second.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair to fight a sick wolf. Fine. But when this sickness, he's coming to me." He then walked away. Terra knew this lie was not going to hold for long, that Stormfast would eventually have to face Stone someday.

She met up with Sparks on the way back, and she told him what she said to them.

"But why did you lie?" said Sparks. "You didn't really need to. I thought you were against lying?"

"I know! I know! It's just... I love him, and I just wanted to buy us a little more time. I don't want to see him hurt again."

"Well, I hope he doesn't find you lied to him. It's like what they say: lying will only make things worse."

_But,_ Terra thought. _In this case, I needed to lie. _Terra wondered about her past and future. She abandoned her pack. Stormfast lost his. Should they make a new pack? Have other wolves come in to protect them and be loyal to them? The most sensible thing to do was run away, but she was tired of running away. She had run away with Rhys when her father killed their best friend. He killed him because he thought he was a bad influence, and Terra was hanging out with him a lot.

She knew what she must do now: make a pack, a pack that will protect Stormfast at all costs. But making a pack will be hard. Being a leader will be harder. Even though she was an Omega she left like an Alpha, a tough, athletic Alpha that went through all the Alpha training, all the winter moons of Alpha School. She knew in her heart that conflict was coming. She figured in a few years she would experience war for the first time. But on the side of Sparks and her future family pack, she will defeat Stone and bring back Rhys. The only that could mess it up was maybe Stormfast's curse. But she thought since he already fell in the river once it won't happen again.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 20: No Longer Alone


	20. Chapter 20: No Longer Alone

Chapter 20: No Longer Alone** (Originally written most likely in January or February 2013. Revised on October 28th, 2019)**

"Sick? I bet they're tricking you," said Rhys.

"I don't think they are," Stone replied. "If Terra loves him, then Stormfast being sick would make her feel down. When she came to me she did look upset." Rhys wasn't sure if he was right, but she didn't question him.

"Hey, Stone?" Their noses were inches from each other.

"Yes?"

"Since you're making this new pack and stuff, I'd... I'd like to be a part of it!" she blurted out with a big smile. Stone started laughing.

"Well, of course, you can."

"Oh, thank you." She hugged him. Stone was so surprised by it that he fell backward. Both of them rolled down a short hill. When they reached the bottom Rhys landed on top of Stone. "Looks like I pinned you down," Rhys said playfully. Stone felt embarrassed.

"I guess it does."

Then, out of nowhere, there was a noise that sounded like a yip from a pup.

"_What was that?_" Rhys whispered.

"I wish I knew," he answered. Then a wolf pup jumped out of the nearby bushes. It scared the living daylights out of them. "Don't do that!" Stone screamed. Their hearts were pounding, begging for relief.

"Please. Don't be afraid," the pup said. He was a gold-colored little pup who still had blue eyes. He was small for his age, and he was skinny. "I just want a home." Rhys felt sorry for him.

"Awww. You can come with us, sweetie." Stone couldn't understand what just happened. Everything went by fast.

"Wait, what's your name?" questioned Stone.

"Oh, me? I have no name."

"No name?" said Rhys. "Must be terrible. We will find a name for you."

"You will?"

"Sure. How 'bout Justin?"

"No."

"Marco?"

"No."

"Hmm... Seth?"

"Definitely no."

"Well, you got to want some name."

"What about Stephen?" Stone suggested. The pup jumped in excitement.

"Yes! Yes! I want that one!"

"Okay," said Rhys. "Stephen it is."

"Yay! I got a name!" shouted Stephen. Stone turned to Rhys.

"How are we going to keep him? Simon will most likely not let a pup stay in his cave."

"I guess we have to find a new one then," said Rhys.

**Later...**

"Does this look okay?" asked Stone. Near the waterfall was a good-sized underground den.

"Yes. It looks nice." She stared into his eyes. Stone looked away in shyness. Then everything went quiet. After a few minutes, Stephen came.

"Whoa. Is this my home?"

"Yep," Stone and Rhys both said. Speaking in unison caught them by surprise.

"And look! What is that?" The pup pointed towards the waterfall.

"Oh, that is a waterfall," said Rhys. The pup never heard of a waterfall.

"Wa... water... ta... ta..." Stephen tried to pronounce it. Rhys wanted to make sure he got it right.

"No, no, Stephen. It's a 'fff' sound."

"Okay. Water... fa... fall. Waterfall!"

"Good job, Stephen!" The pup ran in circles in happiness.

"Well, it looks like we're back at the place where I found you," said Stone to Rhys.

"Yeah. I still see the sharp rocks."

"Well, I think I'm going to reside here with Stephen. Do you still want to sleep with Simon or—" Stone then tripped on himself and fell into the den. Rhys laughed. Then she tripped and also fell into the den but landed on top of Stone again. She turned her head towards him, and the next thing she knew she touched noses with Stone. She closed her eyes. He was the wolf she wanted to be with.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	21. Chapter 21: One Big Night

**Part 2:** The Packs

* * *

Chapter 21: One Big Night **(Originally written most likely in January or February 2013. Revised on October 29th, 2019)**

**Two years later...**

Things were happening now. Stormfast and Terra were making their own pack. One big aspect of an early pack was none other than... pups. Terra was pregnant, ready to have pups at any moment. They had found a den south of Sparks's cave, a medium-sized den on the slope of a hill. Inside, the den split into two tunnels. Terra was in the left one and Stormfast in the right one. He was walking in circles. He was waiting for the pups to come. He wasn't all that worried. He knew from his Alpha training how to take care of them. Terra would know from her Omega training. Omegas were trained to give dating advice. What he did worry about was the pups themselves. Would they have defects? About thirty percent of wolf pups had a defect like a missing eye, paw, or even tail. How many pups would there be? According to Terra's belly, there must be more than three. The average for Easterns was two. For any other wolf, it was four. And most of all, would they like him? At the Eastern Pack, some pups hated their mothers and sometimes their fathers. Rules overwhelmed them, and it seemed to make them cute to vicious. Also, what would be their names? In the East and West, it was forbidden to name a pup after another living wolf so there would be no confusion between who's who.

After hours of labor, Terra shouted to let Stormfast know.

"Stormfast! I think it's time." His heart started pounding fast.

"Okay. Just take big breaths," he replied, "and when the time comes... push! Really hard." It sounded painful to her, but that's what had to be done.

It wasn't long before the first pup came. She did what Stormfast said. Then the next thing she knew he or she was out. She took a few breaths before continuing.

This went on four more times. They had a total of five pups.

"Stormfast, you can come in now." He went to the other tunnel. All the pups were nursing. "We're a family now."

"Yes. We are a pack now."

"Should we name them now?" she asked.

"Sure. Let's start with the oldest." The oldest or firstborn was a light brown pup.

"It's a boy," Terra told him.

"Hmm... David."

"David?" Terra never heard of such a name.

"He was a wolf legend my father had told me about. I wish I remembered the stories."

"Okay. David it is." They moved on to the next pup. "This one's a girl." Stormfast picked her up. Her eyes and ears were closed. They wouldn't open for weeks. "I was thinking Martini," Terra suggested. "It's what my mom wanted to call me before my dad thought of something better."

"We can use that. Sounds pretty." He put Martini down, then she continued nursing. She was light grey just like Terra's father. In fact, she even had the two black spots on her flank just like him.

Soon they named another, Arthur, another boy who was brown. Then there was another girl.

"Oh, I've always wanted to name one of my daughters Hannah." Stormfast looked at her. She was a white pup like Terra.

"I think this beautiful pup deserves a beautiful name. Hannah." Stormfast smiled at his mate. Then there was the last pup which was the smallest and also a boy. His fur was black like Stormfast's.

"It's Stormfast Junior," said Terra.

"I'm gonna say... Henry."

"Sounds handsome."

Luckily none of the pups had defects. There were three boys and two girls. Not too little. Not too much.

How could the perfect family happen if Stormfast was cursed?

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 22: Different Pups


	22. Chapter 22: Different Pups

Chapter 22: Different Pups **(Originally written in February 2013. Revised on October 29th, 2019)**

Stephen was sitting yards away from the waterfall den. He was a full-grown wolf. His fur which used to be close to light brown was now a smooth gold. His father, Stone, was a couple of feet away from him. Stone was sitting in his thoughts. He was going to be a father, not a fake father of Stephen but a father of pups with his own blood.

Stephen couldn't wait to have brothers or sisters. He wondered how they'd be like. He wondered what they would look like. He couldn't remember his real siblings nor if he had any. He just knew that once he saw the new pups it would be like looking at himself two years ago.

"Aww... Stone. We're parents now," said Rhys. "Do you think we should name them?"

"Remember?" said Stone. "We did it already."

"Oh..." Rhys could not believe she forgot. "Stephen, you can come in now." He went in. "Meet your siblings."

"Which ones are male and female?" he asked.

"Well, this one that is white with light brown is..." She stopped. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" said Stephen. She picked up the pup from its sleep. It was a boy. He was missing an eye. There was just a socket. Stephen wasn't too bothered by it. He had lost his entire family.

"Stone! Could you come over here?" Stone was busy sniffing the ground. He looked a lot older now. His spots became a darker brown. His voice was also deeper.

"What is it, Rhys?"

"Look at our pup, Kris." He gasped. Stone studied his son.

"Oooo... I hope this doesn't affect his hunting skills." Stephen then noticed something.

"There's another oddity." He was right. The pup they named Chance was missing one of his dewclaws. Although dewclaws weren't necessary for survival, they helped when digging.

Chance was named after the manner of his birth. For the first few minutes after he came into the world he wasn't breathing. Luckily he coughed and survived. He was a dark brown pup with his eyes not opened yet. There were three pups: Kris, a dim white pup, Chance, and a female light grey pup named Jane. Stone was surprised by her fur color. Neither Stone or Rhys had any grey on them. They guessed it was from Rhys's father who was grey, but there was a chance it came from Stone's family. Stone, like Stephen, was an orphan. Nobody knew if either his mother or father were grey or not.

But that wasn't important. They had other family matters. But the family was part of a larger plan, a plan Rhys just realized they kept forgetting about. Last time they checked Stormfast was still sick.

"Stone?" said Rhys. "How long has Stormfast been ill?" Stone thought for a minute. He realized it too.

"Two years?" he answered sarcastically.

"You know what we must do, right?"

"Yes, I do now."

**Later...**

It was night. Stephen was dreaming... that it was a couple of moons in the future. A random event played out.

"Stone! Stone! I have found your family! You were never an Eastern but a Western!"

"Foolishness, Stephen! I was an orphan, you dull creature! I didn't come from the Grand Pack," said Stone's Pack leader, Stone.

"Dad, you are misunderstanding this. How would you know? Do you remember?"

"No, but what I'm saying makes sense. Since Easterns are related to Westerns since they originated from the same lone wolf ancestor nearly thirty years ago, it means that if I'm not an Eastern I can't be a Western either."

"Well, all I know is that I can prove you wrong. I've met your brother."

"Foolishness! Impossible!" he yelled.

"No, really! His name is—"

Stephen woke up. _What was that?_ he wondered. _Whatever it was I wonder what it meant._

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 23: First Sight


	23. Chapter 23: First Sight

Chapter 23: First Sight **(Originally written most likely in February 2013. Revised on October 29th, 2019)**

**Two moons later...**

Although it was late spring it was somewhat chilly that morning. The pups' eyes and ears were open. They could see the world now and hear the strange noises of life. It wouldn't be long before Stormfast would have to hunt for meat. Mother's milk doesn't last forever.

They were all in the den in the left tunnel. So far the only words the pups spoke were "milk," "no," and "more."

"Milk! Milk!" They all cried. Terra stood up.

"No. Y'all already had some twice." Henry was the only one that wasn't in their little brigade. Stormfast noticed this. The black pup was quietly sitting at the end of the tunnel. It was quiet and dark down there, but a wolf's senses were keen even in complete darkness. Stormfast didn't want him to be alone, so he walked over to him and sat down next to him. The pup looked at his father in dismay. His father felt shy even though it was his own son. The question was still in his mind.

_Does he like me?_ he thought. Then suddenly Terra cried out.

"Storm, please help me!" The pups were jumping all over the place.

"Milk!" Martini shouted.

"No," Stormfast replied.

"No, no!" they mimicked. Then Stormfast's tone changed.

"Alright! Everybody sit!" he ordered. All the pups got quiet and sat together. "You all have to stop being silly and leave your mother alone! No milk until tomorrow." He turned his head to see Henry who was still sitting quietly watching the whole scene. "Henry here is the only one behaving; he's behaving much better than y'all."

"As for punishment," Terra added, "y'all have to take a nap in the other tunnel." The four pups went to the other tunnel. "*sigh* This is exhausting," moaned Terra.

"Well, that's the price we get," said Stormfast. He was right. Terra wanted pups, so they could make their pack stronger, but there was a toll. Until the point where they could be on their own, the parents had to care for them and protect them. And when the time does come, their pups will know what to do.

Stormfast was a pack leader just like he predicted he would be when he was a Beta. One of a pack leader's many jobs was to assign ranks. There were three official ranks in wolf society: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Each rank classified wolves differently. Alpha and Omega are the main ranks and are assigned by personality and while Beta just meant Alpha-in-training. The pups would have to be assigned as either an Alpha and Omega once they're old enough. Traditionally, once ranked as an Omega they have that rank for the rest of their lives. Once ranked as a Beta they train and train until they're about a year old, at which point they are officially ranked as Alphas and would traditionally be Alphas for the rest of their lives. Stormfast would have to open his own Alpha School and Omega School. The oldest boy of Stormfast's litter would have to be ranked as a future Alpha particularly as an Alpha male, a position that was the heir to the pack leadership. But that was far in the future. Now was the present, the gift.

Henry came out of the shadows. He sat next to his father.

"I think he likes you," said Terra. Stormfast looked at him.

_Maybe,_ he thought, _he is different from the rest._ Maybe that was a good thing. Stormfast wanted something good. Destiny River was still on his mind. Just then, Henry started to speak.

"Sto... Sto..." Stormfast tried to make out what he was trying to say. "Fa... st..." He realized it was his name.

"Come on. Come on, little Henry."

"Storm. Stormf... fa... fas... st."

"Yes!" he said with excitement. His son learned his name.

"Stormfast! Stormfast!" the pup yelled. Henry started barking it very loud while running in circles. Then he stopped and stared at Terra who was lying down. "Milk!" he howled.

"No!" yelled Stormfast and Terra.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 24: Missing Pup

* * *

**In case you're wondering, yes, I switched the original 23rd chapter and the 22nd chapter. In this arrangement, it makes more sense chronologically. First Sight takes place two moons after One Big Night, and I wanted Different Pups to be two moons after One Big Night too. This way, Stone's pups are the same age as Stormfast's pups. **


	24. Chapter 24: Missing Pup

Chapter 24: Missing Pup **(Originally written most likely in February 2013. Revised on October 31st, 2019)**

It was summer, the time where wolves hunt the most. Because spring was the mating season, summer was their pups' feeding period. Stormfast was prepared for it. He and Sparks had a collection of meat from caribou to musk ox. Right now Stormfast was teaching the new Alphas to hunt. He assigned David, Martini, and Henry to be the new Alphas of the pack he called the Southern Pack. He called it that because he figured he was south of his original pack, the Eastern Pack.

"Alright, y'all three. I'm going to teach y'all to hunt." The pups had learned a lot more words in the past moon, but none of them knew of the word 'hunt.'

"What is 'hunt'?" asked little Martini.

"It means to get food by finding and killing it," said their father. The pups were surviving off of milk, but soon meat will be the new norm.

"I want to hunt!" yelled David.

"Okay. Don't worry. Y'all will get to." He went to the hillside den to get a bone to practice with. The pups turned their attention to each other.

"Hey, Martini," said David. "Have you 'hunt' before?"

"No, I have not," she answered. "What about Henry? Let's ask him."

"Okay," he agreed. They turned around to see Henry a foot away. "What are you doing, Henry?" he asked. The black pup was looking at some footprints.

"I am looking at this." He pointed at the prints. He did not know what footprints were nor know that they came in many different types and styles.

"Okay. Just wondering." Henry continued. He realized that the prints formed a trail. He followed it. Stormfast soon came back with a moose's tibia in his muzzle. He looked at his young Alphas. He noticed one of them was missing.

"David. Martini," he said to them. "Have y'all seen your brother?"

"He was looking at that." Martini pointed at the pawprints. Stormfast looked down the trail. There were also fresh little puppy prints.

"Okay. Y'all stay here. I'll be right back."

"Okay, Dad," they both said. He followed the pup's trail. Terra then came to the pups.

"Where is he going?"

"Dad was looking at these things," said Martini. "He went there." It was hard to understand what her daughter meant without gestures, but she put it together by herself that Stormfast was following the prints.

"Where's Henry?"

"Dad went after him over there." Terra looked at the trail that went through some bushes.

_What are they doing over there?_ she wondered. _I guess they're playing or something._ (*rumble!*) She looked at the sky. A storm was coming.

**Later...**

Stormfast started to think he was getting close to Henry. He had been walking on the trail for a while now. How far could a pup go? Suddenly there was a loud rumble. Then it started to rain.

"Uh, oh." He began to worry. "No! No! Please don't!" He had a reason to be worried. The rain was eroding away the pawprints in the dirt. The dirt became a squishy mud. "No! Please! Not my son!" He began to bark. "Henry!" He hurried through the mud. He was squeamish of the feeling of mud going between his toes. "Henry!" A vine caught his leg and tripped him. He tried to pull his leg free, but the plant was somehow locked in the ground. He then tried to bite it in half but it was one inch thick. It would take a long time to chew it off, but he did it anyway. Every once and a while he would howl his son's name. "Henry!" Rain, lightning, and thunder filled the sky. It was sunset. Stormfast was chewing as fas he could. When he finally broke the vine his jaw was aching. Part of the vine was still attached to his leg. He then tried to force through the mud. When he got out he sat down and howled for his son to return home.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 25: Stone's Fury Part 1


	25. Chapter 25: Stone's Fury Part 1

Chapter 25: Stone's Fury Part 1 **(Originally written most likely in February or March 2013. Revised from October 31st to November 3rd, 2019)**

It was now a cold, dark, wet night. Terra was in the den with the rest of the pups.

"Where is Dad?" asked Arthur.

"I wish I knew. I hope he comes back. It's dangerous to be in this storm at night."

"What is 'hope?' said Hannah. Terra thought for a second.

"Hope is... a very good thing."

"I want hope."

"Well then, let's 'hope' it comes."

**Later...**

Stone was on his way. He didn't know where the den was, but he knew her scent. He was getting close now. He had Rhys by his side. It was not long before they passed by Sparks's den.

Sparks watched as quietly as he could as Stone and Rhys went in the direction that led to Terra and Stormfast's den. Stone was sniffing the ground. Two years ago, after a bear attacked Terra and Stormfast's old den, Terra had asked Sparks to keep a lookout for any suspicious characters. And things were looking ominous now. After the two wolves were out of sight, Sparks followed them slowly.

Back at the den, Terra was teaching the pups new words.

"What is 'don't?' asked David.

"And 'didn't?' added Martini.

"'Don't,'" Terra explained. "is short for 'do not' and 'didn't' is short for 'did not.'"

"Makes sense," said Arthur who claimed to be the most educated of them all.

Then, suddenly something crazy happened. Out of nowhere, a creepy voice spoke that was familiar to Terra.

"I got an example: 'don't'... underestimate me!" In a split-second, Terra turned around to see Stone with Rhys right behind him standing at the mouth of the den. He immediately pounced on her.

"Who do you think you are?!" she questioned.

"You know who I am! Terra... your time is up! I accidentally gave you two years. You should be thankful that I was busy!" He spat in her face as he talked. The pups were just watching in horror as their mother was pinned against the den wall.

"What do you plan to do?" she asked.

"I plan to kill... Stormfast!" Terra then laughed.

"He's far gone from here. You'll never find him!" Stone looked at Rhys. She shrugged her shoulders. He sighed for a minute, then smiled.

"Well, I guess while he's away he won't mind if I have a little fun with his 'true love.'" He put one of his claws under her chin and winked. Then suddenly another familiar voice arose.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, mate," warned Sparks.

"Rhys, take care of him," Stone commanded. Rhys swung her paw and hit Sparks in the face. He growled at her just as she growled at him. She got into an ugly aggressive posture. Sparks was never in a pack to learn any postures, so he was bewildered. She rammed him into Stone River. He struggled to keep his nostrils above the water. If only his parents had taught him to swim. He was slowly carried away in the current.

"Sparky!" yelled Terra.

"Shut up!" Stone ordered. "Nothing can stop me now!"

"What about them?" She referred to her pups. Stone looked around him.

"Oh... Well, it looks like I'm not the only one with pups."

_He has pups too?_ Terra thought.

"Rhys, take the pups!"

"What?! No!" Rhys went into the cave to get them, but the pups ran toward her. She opened her jaws for what seemed like an easy grab, but they just went right in between her legs.

"Run!" Terra ordered.

"Get them!" barked Stone. But the pups were quick. They ran through some thorn bushes. They were small enough to not get hurt. As soon as Rhys who was chasing them touched a thorn she screamed in pain.

"Owww!"

"What's the matter?" asked Stone. Rhys didn't want to tell him.

"Nothing. The pups got away!"

"Don't worry. They won't last a week alone in the forest."

"I guess so," said Rhys as she pulled out thorns one by one.

"We still got Stormfast's main prize." He turned his head toward Terra who was still pinned under him.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 26: Alpha Henry


	26. Chapter 26: Alpha Henry

Chapter 26: Alpha Henry **(Originally written most likely in March 2013. Revised on November 2nd, 2019)**

Henry woke up. He had been following some wolf pawprints. He was sleeping next to a tree where the prints ended. It was nothing but a dead end. Now he wanted to go home. But which way was the den?

"The trail, of course!" he said aloud while hitting his head. "I'll just follow it back."

On his way back he started to feel hungry. What's to eat? There were a few berry bushes. Maybe he could eat some. There was something his father, Stormfast, had told him about berries. He told him to only eat the blue ones, not the red ones. Sadly they were all red, so Henry went on.

When he walked an average-sized field mouse crossed his path. He pounced on it, killing it instantly under his weight. He quickly ate it. It didn't taste as good as he thought.

Suddenly he heard his name. It was a whisper down the trail. He followed the voice only to see... Stormfast, his face lying on the ground. He was mostly asleep and covered in mud. "Dad!" his son yelled. But he didn't move. He licked his face. He woke up but with a cough.

"Henry?" he whispered.

"It is me, Dad," his son said.

"Oh... I am so glad to see you. *cough!*"

"Are you alright? You seem sick."

"That's because I am. I think it's from the mud."

"Do not worry, Dad. I'll get us to the den." The pup went under him and tried to carry him. Meanwhile, Stormfast tried to stand up. They slowly walked the trail back home. "Dad? What is an... Alpha?"

"An Alpha *cough!* is a... wolf who hunts, teaches, and reports. They are very important to a pack."

"Do you think I am an Alpha?"

"Sure. That's why I picked you to be one."

"I do not feel like one. I feel like some dumb Omega."

"First of all, Henry, let's not be mean. Omegas are not dumb. They're just as important as Alphas. Your mother was an Omega. They represent peace and dating advice."

"What is 'dating advice'?" he asked.

"Something I shouldn't tell you *cough!* until you're old enough." His constant coughing seemed to be getting worse.

"Oh... Okay then."

"Second of all, look at what you're doing right now, helping me stand up and walk. It's something we Alphas do all the time." Henry thought for a moment. He looked at his father's fur. What he thought before was wrong.

"So you did not pick me because of my fur? Because I look almost the same as you?"

"What? No! Ranks are not picked by how you look but what you do and how you think."

"Oh. I did not know that. I think because I am helping you, It does make me an Alpha."

"You know, Henry, you're a good wolf, just confused. But don't worry. We are just learning."

"'We'?"

"Yes. Even I learn from you." Henry smiled. Just then, after a frenzy of coughing, Henry started to feel the real weight of Stormfast. Henry barely escaped from under as his father dropped to the ground. He had just passed out.

"Dad? Dad!" Using his head, Henry started pushing him. "Do not worry, Dad. I will get us home." Although moving him would take forever, the pup didn't care. But he didn't like seeing rocks, sticks, and other debris scrape against Stormfast. Henry felt reborn. A brave new wolf. He would not make a mistake like following some stupid, random wolf prints again. Now he realized it. This was his fault. He started it. Now he must end it. Was he an Alpha, or was he some dumb wolf?

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 27: Stone's Fury Part 2


	27. Chapter 27: Stone's Fury Part 2

Chapter 27: Stone's Fury Part 2 **(Originally written most likely in March or April 2013. Revised from November 2nd to 3rd, 2019)**

Sparks was in the river fifty yards downstream from Stone, Terra, and Rhys. He was hanging onto a branch that protruded from the riverbank. The four pups found him.

"Sparky? What are you doing down there?" said Martini.

"Pups! Help me up!"

"How are we going to do that?" Sparks stretched out one of his forepaws.

"All of you grab my paw!" They looked at each other.

"What does 'grab' mean?" they asked.

"Are you kidding me, mates?! You see paw? Take paw!" They grabbed his paw. Sparks then moved one of his back legs to the top of the branch. "Now pull!" They pulled his arm. He then rolled out of the water. He shook his body. Water droplets went in all directions. "*pant* Thank you, pups. By the way, where is your father?"

"He went looking for Henry, our youngest brother."

"Hmm... Never mind that. Y'all mates stay here!" He ran back to the den.

Meanwhile, Stone was thinking.

"Hmm... Where is your mate?" he questioned Terra.

"I have no idea! I swear! He left with another one of my pups last night before you came. I told you. He's far gone by now." He looked straight into her eyes. She was telling the truth.

"That means he will come back," said Stone. "We have to stay here until he does. If he doesn't, we'll assume he's dead."

"I bet he left you dead," said Rhys.

"No. He wouldn't do that," Terra replied.

Henry and Stormfast were close. Henry could now smell the den, also a couple of new scents. He pushed his father under a bush, then peered through it.

_Who are these wolves?_ he wondered. Just then, his brother appeared beside him. "Arthur?"

"Henry! Where have you been?" He took one look at Stormfast. "You also have Dad!"

"He is sick. He will not wake up."

"Oh, no. What do we do?"

"I do not know. What is going on? Who are these wolves?"

"Some mean, ugly, stupid wolves. They said they wanted Dad dead!"

"Where are our other brothers and sisters?"

"They are not far. Sparky told us to stay near the river back there."

"Well, we need a plan to keep those wolves away. Get everybody!"

"Martini! David! Hannah!" Arthur called. The other pups soon came.

"Henry, you are back! Why is Dad under that bush?"

"Enough, David!" said Arthur. "Henry is trying to tell us something."

"Alright," Henry continued. "I have a plan to make those wolves go away." He whispered it to them.

"Nice plan but are you sure we can use Stormfast's body?" said David.

"Of course. They do not even know what he looks like."

"True. The scar has scared me before," said Hannah.

"Okay. Everybody is with me on this, right?" They all nodded. "Let's do this!" yelled Henry.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 28: Taking Action


	28. Chapter 28: Taking Action

Chapter 28: Taking Action **(Originally written most likely in March or April 2013. Revised on November 3rd, 2019)**

Henry was ready to go with the plan, but it then started to turn for the worse. Sparks went back into the fight.

"Oh, no!"

"What is it, Henry?" asked David.

"It is Sparky. We need to get him out of here, or the plan will not work."

"Alright, mates! I'm not playing around this time!" cried Sparks.

"Get him, Sparky!" barked Terra.

"You shut up!" said Stone.

"_I have an idea!_" whispered Henry. "_It will be part of the plan._" He told David, who played in the first phase of the plan, his new role. As soon as these alterations were done they got in their positions. "_Okay... Go David and Martini!_" he directed. Soon enough, David and Martini ran across the hillside area in front of the den. Stone, Rhys, and Terra watched. All three of them were confused. The two pups screamed as they ran. Sparks also watched them. But then something weird happened. In a split second, when David looked in Sparks's direction, he smiled and winked. Sparks was deeply confused. But he soon realized this was part of a plan. He decided to play along. Luckily he was the only one who noticed the pup wink. Sparks made sure Stone and Rhys were looking at him before he looked in the direction where David and Martini came from.

"Oh, no!" Sparks then ran away screaming.

"What is going on with them?" said Rhys.

"I have no idea," said Stone. "Hey, Terra! Were those your pups?" Terra knew they were hers but she said otherwise. Henry then gave the cue for phase two. Arthur and Hannah jumped out of the bushes screaming. When they got in front of Stone and Rhys they stopped and faced them like they were an audience.

"There is a dead body!" said Hannah.

"Yeah! In those bushes over there." Arthur pointed toward the spot. Both of them ran off. Henry was at the spot in a bush along with Stormfast, their fake 'dead body.'

"I'll check it out," said Stone. "Rhys. You watch Terra for me." Henry moved to a different bush, so Stone couldn't see him. But not before rubbing his body against his father so he could disguise his scent. "What the—?! It's Stormfast! He's dead!"

"That's very good! Now we can continue our pack," replied Rhys. When Terra heard those words her heart fell to pieces. She cried immediately. Stone tried to feel a pulse by putting his paw on Stormfast's neck. Stormfast wasn't really dead. A sickness caused him to pass out. Stone could not feel a pulse only because his heart rate was too slow to feel.

"This wolf... is dead." He was happy for Rhys and his pack, but deep inside he felt disappointed. He didn't think it would be that easy. "C'mon, Rhys. Let's go home. Simon, Kris, Jane, Stephen, or Chance might need us." They both left. When the last trace of the notorious apple smell was gone all the pups came into the family den where Terra was.

"Mom! Mom! We are all here!" the pups cried. She stopped crying.

"I'm so sorry, y'all. Your father is gone."

"No! No! He is not dead. We acted so they would leave."

"What?! Wow! How did y'all do that?"

"Thank Henry," said Martini. "He thought of the whole thing."

"Oh, thank you, pups, especially you, Henry." He smiled. "Wait. Why does your Dad look like he's dead?" Henry stepped forward.

"It was my fault. He got sick in the mud trying to find me. He is alive, but he will not move."

"Oh, don't worry, son. Saving me had paid your mistake."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 29: The Price


	29. Chapter 29: The Price

Chapter 29: The Price **(Originally written most likely in April 2013. Revised on November 3rd, 2019)**

Stormfast soon woke up from being unconscious for many hours.

"Honey. You're awake."

"Terra? Where's Henry?"

"Wait. I have to tell you something." Stormfast frowned.

"Let me guess. The pups kept asking you for milk, so you want me to help."

"First of all, Storm, we need meat now. They're too old for milk. I'm almost dry. They need to be weaned."

"Oh, yeah. You're right. Sorry."

"Second of all, it's not that. After you left Stone and Rhys came to our den."

"What?!"

"Yes. They took over. Sparky wasn't enough to stop them. Luckily, when our son, Henry, came back with your body, he thought of a genius plan to drive them away. But the price is that he thinks you're dead."

"Woah. Really? Where is Henry?"

"He's in the other tunnel." Stormfast went to the left tunnel.

"Henry? May I speak to you outside?"

"Uhh... Sure, Dad." They walked outside.

"I hear you've done some great things. I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you."

"But what does 'proud' mean?" he asked.

"It means that I'm very happy for what you've done." Henry smiled.

"Thank you, Dad."

"Look, son, remember when I told you you were an Alpha?"

"Yes, with David and Martini."

"Well, there's not just an Alpha. There's an Alpha male."

"Alpha male? What is that?"

"It's an Alpha that is destined to lead the pack."

"Woah. That is big."

"Yes, but it is something that is granted to the oldest Alpha pup that is male. However... I've been thinking about changing the rules for you. Instead, an Alpha male is chosen or picked by his father to lead the pack after him." Henry looked down at his paws. A lot of responsibility was going to be in them.

"Are you sure I'm ready?"

"You will always be. Seven moons ago I didn't know if I was ready to take care of y'all when Mom said she wanted a family. Besides, if a wolf who made a plan that great is not the Alpha male, I would be making a mistake."

"Well, that does make sense. It's just... I'm the one who caused you to be sick. I'm the one who followed that trail and caused you to worry and cry about me."

"So? Did you learn from it?"

"Yes. I did learn from it." Henry started to see his father's point. "In fact, when I did... I got rewarded."

"My point exactly. When you learn from your mistakes you'll know not to do it again. Then when you don't do it something good will happen. But remember, the good thing may not always come, and, if it does, it may take a while to do so."

"That is a lot to remember, but I'll sure keep hold of it."

"Good. You know, it took me hundreds of mistakes to pass Alpha School."

"Wow! So my mistake will not be my last?"

"True. They're there all through your life."

"Whoa. I see. Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What is your biggest mistake?" Stormfast did not want to tell him.

"Not teaching how to hunt earlier."

"What?"

"That's right. I'm going to teach you, Martini, and David to hunt."

"Whoa! Really?! Yes! I love you, Dad!" exclaimed Henry.

"I love you too, son."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 30: Father's Lies


	30. Chapter 30: Father's Lies

Chapter 30: Father's Lies **(Originally written most likely in May 2013. Revised on November 3rd, 2019)**

Stone and Rhys soon came home to their pups at the waterfall den where Simon had been puppysitting. Stephen greeted them.

"Welcome back, parents."

"Hello, sweetie," said Rhys. "Where is Simon?"

"He left and went to his den a while ago. He said he 'couldn't take it anymore.'"

"Where are the pups?"

"They're playing in the den." Stone entered the den.

"How is everybody doing in here?" All the pups jumped on Stone in excitement.

"Dad, where were you?" said Kris.

"Well, I had matters to attend to."

"What kind of matters?" asked Jane.

"Hmm... Well... did you know that there is a wolf I know named Stormfast?"

"Who is Stormfast?"

"You're not gonna like it but... Stormfast is a very mean wolf."

"No..."

"Yes. Do you know what humans are?"

"Yes. You told us they are a selfish, untrustworthy, ugly race that rules our world," said Chance.

"Yes, but did you know that Stormfast had left me to die by them?" All of the pups' ears raised. So did Stephen's. He was listening to the conversation outside.

"No way."

"Yes way. He ditched me in their grasp even though at the time we were best friends. He betrayed me. He does bad stuff nowadays."

_Who would do such a thing?_ thought Stephen.

"What bad stuff does he do to you now?" asked Kris. Stone thought for a minute.

"Well, yesterday a grey wolf by the name of umm..." Stone then remembered Terra had called him "Sparky." "Sparky had attacked your mother. Stormfast had sent him."

"What?! Not Mom!" yelled Chance.

"Is she okay?" said Jane.

"Yes, yes. She is fine. Just a couple of cuts. Don't worry. Rhys had... killed him."

"Woah. Remind me not to get Mom mad," said Kris. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, yesterday he also attacked me."

"Then where are your cuts?"

"Oh, uhh... that's because..." Stone really didn't want to do it, but he put his left forepaw under his right armpit and clawed the skin. Blood soon appeared. He tried to hold the pain as much as could. "He got me right here." He lifted his right arm.

"Wow. That's a weird place for someone to claw you."

"Yeah. Plus it looks fresh," Jane added.

"What happened to Stormfast?" asked Chance.

"Oh, I uhh... killed him."

"Whoa! Really? Good for you, Dad!" said Kris.

"Yeah!" said Chance. "Now you do not have to worry about that mean wolf."

"How did you do it? asked Jane.

"I uhh... pushed him into the umm... river and he umm... drowned."

"Whoa. Dad. You are very brave. I wish to be like you." Jane hugged him. Unfortunately Stone had to tell her something

"Uhh... Jane. You should know you are an Omega." In a second she frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but we need at least one Omega."

"What?!" she replied, raising her voice.

"Don't use that tone!" barked Stone. "Kris and Chance are the Alphas!"

"What about Kris? Why can't he be the Omega?! How can he hunt? He has a blindside!"

"That's it, Jane! Outside!"

"Fine!" Stephen watched as Jane stormed out of the cave.

"Little sister, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't call me 'little!'"

"I think Dad is a little crazy."

"I know you are trying to cheer me up. It's not going to work Stephen."

"You're a really smart pup."

"If only Dad could see it though."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 31: The Taste for Meat


	31. Chapter 31: The Taste for Meat

Chapter 31: The Taste for Meat **(written most likely in June 2013. Revised on November 4th, 2019)**

In the middle of the forest, a league away from the den, three pups stand side-by-side, shoulder-by-shoulder, flank-by-flank. Stormfast instructed them.

"Alright, pups. Alpha School doesn't start until winter, but today is in mid-summer, so I'll give you a taste of what's like. There will be no more milk from now on. Just meat. Today I will teach you to hunt. Step one: tracking. To track you must look for prints." Stormfast then made a pawprint in the dirt. "This is a print. There are many types of prints." Then he drew a caribou print. "This is the kind of print you're looking for." He showed the pups the prints of the many different animals to hunt. He also told them to watch out for moose because many wolves had died chasing them. "Remember to follow the fresh tracks because it means they're close or nearby. Step two: waiting. Once you find one find a place to hide. Make sure you're not too far because when it runs you won't be able to reach it. Make sure you're not too close or else it will get your scent and run away before you get a chance. Step three: running. When you're in a spot where you can attack it you jump on its back and try to kill it. Sometimes you will miss and it'll run away. That's when you have to run after it. Now when you run in a pack you will be in a formation. In the formation, there are positions or places that the pack leader will assign to you or tell you to be in depending on what you're good at. When you run with the pack you are to stay in that certain part of the formation. There are many positions. In a basic formation which involves five wolves, there are five places such as leader, also known as captain; rear flanker, which is behind the leader; left flanker, which is on the left side of the leader; right flanker, which is on the right side of the leader; and the outflanker, which can be on the right side or left side of the rear flanker. Step four: killing. Make sure you always jump on its back. It's the only part of the animal that can't shake or kick you off easily. Stay away from the legs. Once you're on its back you have to try to kill it by biting it in the neck. Blood will come out, and the animal will fall and die. Then you drag it to the pack." All the pups' mouths dropped when they realized how much information they needed to hun. "Now we're going to try it ourselves. Since there are five needed and we only have three pups, there will be no outflanker, and I'll be the leader."

They soon all got in their formation. Stormfast was leader, Martini was left flanker, Henry was right flanker, and David was rear flanker. A young deer was grazing next to a tree. They crept up to the animal while hiding in the grass. Stormfast flickered his ears, giving Henry the signal to jump on its back. He soon did. It then ran with him on it. Stormfast and the other pups soon ran after.

"Hang on!" yelled David. Soon enough, Martini jumped on its back. Then she bit it in the neck. Blood gushed out of the artery, staining her fur. The deer then fell to the ground.

"Be careful!" yelled Stormfast. Henry and Martini hopped off of it. Henry jumped in excitement.

"Yes, yes!" We killed our first animal!"

"Good job! I'm proud of all of you, pups!" For a second Stormfast looked down at himself. He thought of himself as one of his Alpha School teachers, Smokey.

As David sank his teeth in the carcass his mouth watered. His eyes widened as he got the taste of meat for the first time.

"Oh, my. This is the best food in the world!"

**Meanwhile...**

At Stone's Pack Stone was teaching _his_ Alphas.

"Alright, pups. I already told you what to do. Now you must do it yourself. I am not helping you. The first to bring an animal to the den gets to be the Alpha male. Now go!" Both Kris and Chance ran into the forest.

"Are you sure they won't get lost?" asked Rhys.

"I'm sure of it. But if one does, I'll know who to pick."

It wasn't long before Kris found a small buck. He laid low in the tall grass.

"I'm ready," he told himself. But the buck heard him and ran away. "Oops." He ran after. Dodging the trees was hard, especially with his poor eyesight. But then he noticed the buck going farther and farther away from him. He started panting. "*pant* I... will... *pant* catch... you. *pant*" (*SMACK!*) He had slammed into a tree and lost sight of the buck. "*pant* Next... time."

In another part of the woods, Chance was already chasing a sick, elderly moose. Little did he know that moose were the most dangerous animals to hunt. It took him a while to catch up to it but then he said:

"I will never pant!" He chased his life out and jumped and bit it in the leg, which was the most dangerous part of the animal. It fell to the ground. It then jerked its free back leg, kicking Chance in the mouth. Two of his teeth came out: a canine and a molar. Luckily they were baby teeth. Chance got off its leg and pounced on its neck before biting it, killing it instantly. He then dragged it to the den. His mouth and the surrounding fur was as if he had gone to war. He held the pain as much as he held the urge to scream from the pain, to show no weakness. "I've brought our dinner," he said to his father.

"Very good. You are our future."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 32: The Southern Alliance


	32. Chapter 32: The Southern Alliance

Chapter 32: The Southern Alliance **(Originally written on June 24th, 2013. Revised on November 5th, 2019)**

Garth was at his pack, the Grand Pack, a pack that was once torn apart after a bitter civil war known as the War of the Divide about thirteen years ago. Even though his pack was mostly stable he was always depressed. His cousin and his best friend went missing a couple of years ago, his father, Tony, died a couple of moons ago, and he somehow couldn't have pups no matter how many times he would try with Lilly. Personally to him, there was nothing to happy about. But that would soon change.

**Meanwhile...**

"Where are we going?" asked Henry.

"We're going to see an old friend of mine," answered his father. They were heading north, the direction Stormfast believed that would lead to the Eastern Pack. It took many moons, but he was finally able to retrace his steps to the lake at which he could find its source, the Dividing River, and follow it upstream. He brought Henry, Arthur, and Hannah along with him.

After a couple of hours of walking, Stormfast saw a Grand Pack scout. "Hello there." He was a red wolf.

"Oh, hi. Do I know you?"

"I don't think so. My name's Stormfast."

"Wait. What?! You're one of the missing wolves! Pack leader Garth will love to see you! Come! Follow me!"

**Later...**

"Pack leader Garth."

"What is it, Mike?"

"I have found Stormfast!"

"What?! Bring him in immediately!" Stormfast and his pups entered Garth's den. "Stormfast!" He hugged him. "Where have you been?! You look so grown up now."

"You too." Garth noticed the large scar on his face.

"Whoa. Did you get attacked?"

"Yeah, by a bear two years ago."

"Ouch. What happened to you? Did you leave the pack? I spent almost all last year sending out search parties."

"I had fallen in the Dividing River during that Moonlight Howl. Then I got lost in the woods. That's when I met my mate."

"You have a mate?"

"Yeah. Oh, I'd like you to meet a few of my pups: Henry, Arthur, and Hannah."

"Oh, hi, guys."

"Nice to meet you," said Henry.

"You know you look just like your father," Garth replied to the black pup. "Are they weaned yet?"

"Yes. Just this morning," said Stormfast.

"Wow. Wait. Does that mean you have your own pack?"

"Yes. Mine's south of yours."

"Wow. It's sure been a lot of time. Is Stone with you?"

"What? No!" he scorned. "He made his own pack. I haven't seen him since the Moonlight Howl but my mate has on multiple occasions. She said his pack's name is Stone's Pack."

"What?! I know that pack! One of my scouts discovered it more than two years ago. They didn't accept my peace treaty!"

"How did you not know that pack was Stone's?"

"I don't know. I thought 'Stone' in Stone's Pack meant a rock."

"You should know that he's inciting a war."

"No... Not Stone."

"Yes. He almost killed my mate and pups. He didn't accept your peace treaty. It all adds up to it."

"Maybe you're right about the future war. Or maybe I've known it's true, and I don't want to believe it."

"Well, I'm here. You can ask me for peace."

"Well, I accept. What is the name of your pack?" The pack was the Southern Pack, but Stormfast thought of something better for the treaty.

"The Southern... Alliance."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 33: The Announcement


	33. Chapter 33: The Announcement

Chapter 33: The Announcement **(Originally written on June 25th, 2013. Revised on November 5th, 2019)**

"Are you ready, Simon?" asked Stone. "You know the plan, right?"

"Yes, yes. I go to the Grand Pack. I tell 'barf' about it. I tell the pack what's going to happen. I come back. It's not hard."

"Okay. Just making sure."

"Can I come?" said Kris.

"Hmm... Sure. As long as you don't get in Simon's way."

"Don't worry. I'll stay far away from him when he's speaking."

**Later...**

"You know, I really missed you, Stormfast."

"I know, I missed you, Garth."

"I'm glad our packs are united as allies."

"Speaking of uniting, since it seems you're a pack leader from the East inside the den where the Western leader once lived, I take it that the packs united while I was gone."

"You're correct, my friend. The Grand Pack is back, and the citizens have appointed me as a temporary pack leader until the eldest son of my sister-in-law is old enough to take over."

"Alphas marrying Omegas. Very strange," said Stormfast. "I guess I sorta' understand. My mate used to be an Omega. Lone wolves are the only wolves who can freely change their ranks."

Just then, Hutch entered the den.

"Garth. A diplomat of Stone's Pack wants to have a word with you."

"Uhh... Let him in."

"Wait," said Stormfast. "Could you escort my pups away from the den?"

"Aww. Why?" asked Henry.

"Sorry. This is grown-up stuff." Hutch removed the pups. Simon then came in. The old wolf took one look at Stormfast.

_Is that Bronx?_ he wondered. _That wolf looks a lot like him!_ "Hello. My name is Simon. I would like to tell your pack an announcement. It's very important."

"Uhh... sure. I'll arrange my citizens to sit before your announcement," said Garth.

"Thank you."

While they were talking inside Kris's eyes opened wide when he saw one of Stormfast's pups, Hannah. He went over to greet her.

"Hello. My name's Kris. You know, you're very beautiful." Hannah blushed.

"Oh, uhh... thank you. My name is Hannah." Garth, Stormfast, and Simon then exited the den.

"I have to go now. Bye, Hannah."

"Bye, Kris."

"Who are you talkin' to?" asked Arthur."

"Nobody... but I feel something new."

**Later...**

Most of the wolves in the Grand Pack met up in a small valley including Humphrey, Kate, and their pups. Garth, Lilly, and Stormfast were in the front row. Simon soon spoke.

"I'm Simon, an Alpha and diplomat of Stone's Pack." Simon sat on a tall boulder that overlooked everybody. "I'm here to announce that my pack leader, Stone, is declaring war on this pack." Everybody gasped.

"I told you!" Stormfast said to Garh. Simon continued.

"Do not put full blame on us. We had sent a peace treaty to Garth, but he didn't accept."

"What is he talking about?" asked Kate from the third row.

"LIAR!" yelled Garth. "It was quite the opposite!"

"That'll be all," said Simon. Then he left with Kris. Garth took his place upon the rock.

"Sir, was that true?" said one of the Alphas.

"No! He's lying! I swear the exact opposite happened more than two years ago! My scout, Mike, can prove it." Mike then stepped up.

"It's true! Garth had sent me to give _them_ a peace treaty!"

"Don't worry. We believe you," said Hutch from the fourth row.

"Thank you," said Garth. "Don't worry about the war. I'll try to protect us as much as I can. Plus if we need help, we can get it from my cousin's pack, the Southern Alliance." Stormfast then spoke.

"I will help you as long as we help each other. I will make sure the Stone War will never begin. Please... Let's bond with trust."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 34: Exiled


	34. Chapter 34: Exiled

Chapter 34: Exiled **(Originally written on June 26th, 2013. Revised on November 5th, 2019)**

Soon after the announcement, Stormfast went home with the pups to think things through.

"How did it go?" asked Terra

"Well, I found the pack and met everybody. But while I was there a diplomat of Stone's Pack came."

"So?"

"He said they are declaring war on the pack! Right before that I just agreed to a treaty with Garth, the pack leader. I'm not ready for that!"

"What about what you said to me?" said Henry. "You'll always be ready, Dad."

**Meanwhile...**

"What's wrong, Jane? Did you get in another fight with Dad?" questioned Stephen.

"Yeah. *sniff*"

"What happened this time?"

"I told Dad it wasn't a good idea to declare war on another pack. Then we started arguing and stuff."

"Hmm... I know you weren't picked to be an Alpha, but do you want some Alpha training?" Jane smiled and said:

"Yes, of course!"

"Alright, then follow me!" She then followed him into the woods. They stopped when they came to a plain. "Okay, stand right there." Stephen pointed at a spot within the small clearing. "You see that tree straight ahead?"

"Yeah." There was a big pine tree a few yards in front of her.

"Do you see the two pine cones to the right, dangling on that branch?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, what you have to do is try to jump the distance and catch one pine cone in your mouth."

"Sounds easy enough. I'll give it a shot." She jumped but it was too short. Then she tried again, but she flew right past the cones and missed.

"C'mon sis'. You can do it. Think of yourself as an Alpha. Don't listen to your doubts or whatever Dad said to you." She once again tried and flew right past them again.

"Are you sure I can this?"

"Yeah. You did say you were perfect to be an Alpha, right?"

"Okay, one more time." She jumped in the air, caught one of the pine cones in her mouth, and landed in a bush. After she spat out the pine cone she heard a nearby conversation beyond the back of the bush. She listened carefully.

"Sorry, Henry but this is a war. You sometimes can't be ready for that."

"But, Dad, you said that the last time you didn't feel ready for something you were wrong." Jane looked at the black wolf and what seemed like his pup through the leaves.

"I guess you're right..."

"Stormfast!" someone yelled with a feminine voice. Jane figured it was the wolf's mate.

"Oh, uhh... hold on, son. I'll be right back."

_Stormfast?_ she wondered. _How can that be?_ _Dad said he was dead! I must tell father! _She ran past Stephen and went to the family den.

"Dad, Stormfast is not dead!" she declared.

"What? Impossible!" said Stone.

"No, I saw him!" Stephen soon came in.

"Oh, did you?"

"Yes, with my big brother."

"Oh, really then. Stephen, did you see a black wolf?"

"Uhh... no, sir," he answered.

"Well, I don't think you've seen him." Jane wouldn't give up arguing.

"With all due respect, I don't think she is lying, sir," said Stephen.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it!" Stephen stayed quiet. Stone growled closely at his face.

"That's what I thought!" Jane didn't like the fact that Stone was up in her brother's face. She growled at him.

"DON'T YOU GROWL AT ME!" Stone then smacked her cheek with the top side of one of his forepaws. Stephen jumped on him and growled fiercely. "That's it! Jane, go to your mother! Stephen! You are banished for standing up to me!" Stephen and Jane looked at each other in dismay.

"Bye Jane. Remember that I love you." He then ran off.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 35: New Feelings


	35. Chapter 35: New Feelings

Chapter 35: New Feelings **(Originally written on June 27th, 2013. Revised on November 6th, 2019)**

There was just something about that wolf named Kris that Hannah liked. She was not sure what it was. She wanted to see him again to learn more. He was from Stone's Pack, but where was Stone's Pack? She went to Stormfast to find out.

"Dad, do you know where Stone's Pack is?"

"Just a few leagues east from here. Why?"

"Oh, just curious. Just wanted to fill a hole in my mind." She then headed east.

**Later...**

"What happened, Jane?" asked Kris.

"Dad banished Stephen! Can you believe it?" she cried.

"No. Not really. We will really miss our friend who treated us as younger siblings. I am profoundly sorry." Jane continued to cry. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the den. "What do I do now? Chance doesn't have to deal with this stuff." Suddenly a white figure appeared out of the bushes. She scared the heck out of Kris. "What the—?! What are you doing here?!"

"Sorry but... I had to see you again."

"Why?"

"I don't know. When I saw you the first time my stomach had a funny, weird, new feeling. I didn't understand, but my mind told me to see you again."

"Look, I'm not sure what you're going through, but we shouldn't talk here. My Dad hates your pack. I know a place." She followed him all the way to Simon's garden. There were already crops planted for the autumn season. "Now what? You wanna talk? I got plenty of time."

"Well, let's get to know each other. What do you like to do?"

"Play with others."

"Weird. Me too. What is your rank?"

"Well, I'm an Alpha, but I feel like an Omega. I have all the things an Omega has. I can't hunt because of my eyesight, I'm twice as caring than serious, and I don't like to do anything an Alpha does."

"I'm sorry, Kris. You know, I'm an Omega. Just think of yourself as one."

"Okay. I know we just met, but can we become friends?"

"Sure." Stone then yelled his name.

"Kris!"

"Sorry. I have to go. Let's meet here tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright. See you later."

"Later, Hannah." He then left. Hannah then ran back home.

When she got back it was already dusk. Stormfast, Terra, Henry, David, and Martini were all asleep. Only Arthur was awake.

"Hannah! Where have you been? You're lucky nobody else found out you were missing."

"I was just... meeting someone."

"Who?"

"Uhh... can you keep this secret?"

"*sigh* This can't be good."

"I have this new male Alpha friend I met before the announcement. I was just visiting Stone's Pack where he lives."

"Are you kidding me?! Mom and Dad will kill you if they find out! I'll keep the secret. But if they find out, I'm not getting in trouble for it.

"Okay. That's good enough for me."

"How do you know where the pack is anyway?"

"I had asked Stormfast and told him it was for no reason except curiosity. You know, we're meeting again tomorrow."

"Why did you go after him?"

"I don't really know. After I first met him, after he said I was 'beautiful,' I felt a strange new feeling in my stomach. My head told me to see him again. I can't explain it. Is there a word for it, to describe it?"

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 36: Finding Hope Again


	36. Chapter 36: Finding Hope Again

Chapter 36: Finding Hope Again **(Originally written on June 28th, 2013. Revised on March 24th, 2014 and again on November 6th, 2019)**

Today was now the twenty-seventh day of summer. Stephen had been walking around charted and uncharted territory. He had just been exiled. He wasn't sure when or how he was going to find another pack, but it really shouldn't be _that_ hard. He had done it before back when he was a pup. He had lost his original pack and family. He had searched and searched with his little knowledge until he came across two wolves named Stone and Rhys. Now a similar thing was happening again. He was searching for hope again, hope that he will find a pack, hope that he will find a family that he so dearly lacked.

(*thump!*) He had hit a wall of some sort. He looked around it. There was an opening. It was a cave. Could there be wolves in there that came from a pack? He looked inside. What he saw was exactly what he wanted. He had made it to Humphrey and Kate's den.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi," said Kate.

"I'm from Stone's Pack." Kate's face quickly frowned as well as Humphrey's.

"What are you doing here?!" she questioned.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I've been exiled from the pack."

"Oh... sorry 'bout that. You've been exiled? Let me guess; you're finding another pack?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, welcome to the Grand Pack. I'm Kate. Him over there is my crazy mate, Humphrey."

"Crazy and proud," said Humphrey. Kate laughed.

"You are so funny. Anyway, these are our pups: Stinky, Runt, and Claudette."

"Nice to meet you all. My name's Stephen."

"Hello, Stephen," they all said.

"Umm... Kate. I was wondering... since, you know, I'm trying to find a family. Would you mind if I join y'all?"

"Sorry, but yes. We kinda' have a full den already with the pups. We both know that they always go first." Kate then thought for a second. "Oh, yeah. You can go to our friends' den. Garth and Lilly will be happy to have you!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you very much."

"Oh, but... they are checking the borders currently. You can stay here until we hear they've returned."

"Okay."

**Later...**

After hours of silence, the pups became bored.

"Dad. Can you tell us a story?" asked Claudette who looked just like her mother.

"I want to hear a story too," said Stinky, a light grey pup.

"Okay, I'll tell you a story," said Humphrey. "Once upon a time, when I was a pup I used to have a brother. We played all the time, all day everyday. He was a white pup with brown spots on him." Stephen's eyes widened. Stone was also white with brown spots. "Then one day, while I was nursing from our mom he had fallen into the Dividing River. I wanted to save him, but our mom told me to stay put. She then jumped into the river to try and save him herself. I soon got worried because she quickly went out of my sight. I waited and waited but nothing happened. Then the next day, she did come back, but my brother didn't come with her. She said she was too late to save him. She didn't see him die, but she couldn't find him when she reached the end of the river which was the large lake it emptied into. To this day, I still have dreams about him."

"Uhh... when you had your brother," said Stephen, "what pack did your family live in at that time?"

"The Western Pack," Humphrey answered. It was Stone! He was the missing pup!

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 37: Questions About Love

* * *

**(Fun fact: when I first wrote this chapter the names of Humphrey and Kate's pups were originally Nicky, Travis, and Rocky. Of course, it was before Alpha and Omega 2 came out. I didn't keep those original names in this remake or JOS2 because I intended JOS1 to be close to canon as possible.)**


	37. Chapter 37: Questions About Love

Chapter 37: Questions About Love **(Originally written on June 29th, 2014. Revised on November 7th, 2019)**

As Stormfast was adding the new borders of his pack Terra was alone in the den. Hannah considered this as a great time to talk to her.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hey, sweetie. How's it going?"

"Actually I have a couple questions."

"What are they?"

"Well, what do you call a feeling that you get when you like someone a lot?"

"Oh... you're talking about love."

"What is love?" she asked quietly.

"Love is an amazing thing. Normally when you love someone you are more than friends with him or her. It's what brought me and your Dad together. There are two types of love: with your family or with someone who isn't your family. Which one do you want to talk about?"

"Someone who isn't in your family."

"Okay. By the way, who gave you this question?"

"Umm... Arthur was talking about it."

"Hmm... Okay, where was I? Oh, yes. Usually, when you love someone you get a strange, odd urge in your mind that tells you to do stuff you usually don't do. You also have a weird feeling in your stomach. There are no other words to explain it."

"Does age have an effect on love?"

"Well, when it's your family you love them from the day you are born to the day you die. When it's someone outside your family you can't do it while you're really young. In other words, for the first year after being born you are not ready for a romantic relationship. You can be best friends though. You could also love someone _as_ a friend."

"How old am I?"

"You're only about four moons. You got a long way to go before you can find your special someone, also known as your 'true love.' So you know that you were born in the spring, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's because spring is the mating season. In one mating season, two wolves meet each other and they start a family. Of course, there's no fixed rule. Your Dad and I didn't have pups until two years after we became mates."

"Whoa. How do you know so much?"

"I used to be an Omega. One of our main jobs is to give dating advice. I'll teach you and Arthur more about it when Omega School starts in the winter."

"How will I know who's my true love?"

"Well, you have to love him, and he has to love you. You have to understand the consequences you might get if you want to be with him, and he has to know too. If both of you are good in these ways then he is your true love. Your Dad is one of those wolves who dedicates himself to share whenever pain his mate may go through."

"You know, I'm glad we could talk about this."

"I am too." Hannah then left the den. Stormfast came in after she exited. "I thought you were adding the new borders."

"I'm taking a break. Were you just talking to Hannah?"

"Yeah. She had a question about us," she playfully lied to seduce him. She had gotten used to lying.

"What was the question?"

"Do you love me as much as I love you?"

"What?! Of course, I do!" She then laughed.

"I'm kidding. I know you love me." She licked his cheek. He smiled.

Hannah knew she couldn't have a romantic relationship with Kris yet, so she decided that when she was old enough she would admit her love to him. But for now, they'll just be great friends.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 38: Stephen's Theory


	38. Chapter 38: Stephen's Theory

Chapter 38: Stephen's Theory **(Originally written on June 30, 2013. Revised on November 7th, 2019)**

Stone must've been that pup who was washed away in the Dividing River. Stephen already knew about the civil war that broke apart the original Grand pack. He also knew Stone came from the Eastern Pack. So he came up with a theory to explain what happened.

Stephen believed Humphrey's brother was Stone. As a pup, he was carried away from the Western side of the Dividing River, and downstream he somehow got picked up on the Eastern side. Stephen figured he got hit by something when he rode the river and lost his memory. The earliest thing Stone could recollect was Stormfast's mom, Debby, taking care of him. Everything corroborated.

Stephen now wanted to tell this news.

"Hey, Humphrey!"

"What?"

"I know who your brother is!"

"What?! How? My mother couldn't find him in the lake."

"Somebody else took him out of the river. That's why. It is Stone. He is your brother."

"What is his fur color?

"White with dark brown spots."

"Whoa! I'd really like to meet him!"

"Oh, c'mon, Humphrey. That's the wolf that declared war on us!" said Humphrey's mate.

"Oh, don't be so uptight, Kate."

"Yeah," said Stephen. "Maybe if we tell him about your mate, he'll stop the war." Kate's eyes widened.

"Stephen! You're a genius! He wouldn't war against his brother. You should go to Stone's Pack and tell him!"

"Me? I don't know... I just came back from that pack. I was just banished, Kate."

"Don't worry. He'll question you, but when you mention his missing puppyhood he'll crack."

"Hmm... Okay. I'll try it." Stephen then showed an upset face.

"Oh, don't be upset. Think of this as a time to see your old family again." Stephen considered Kate's alternative view. He really missed Jane, his little sister. This was a chance to catch up with her. It was also a chance to stop the war. He had to try.

After an hour, he gained the confidence to head back to Stone's Pack.

"I'll be back!"

**Later...**

Stephen made it back home. Before he reached the main den he thought about the dream he had about four moons ago. Now he knew what it meant.

Soon enough he met Stone. On him was the face Stephen wanted to avoid.

"Stephen! What are you doing here?! You are banished!"

"Stone! Stone! *pant* I have found your family! You weren't an Eastern but a Western!"

"Foolishness, Stephen! I was an orphan, remember?! I didn't come from the Grand Pack at all."

"Dad, you are misunderstanding this. How would you know? Do you remember?"

"No, but what I'm saying makes sense. Since Easterns are related to Westerns since they originated from the same lone wolf ancestor nearly thirty years ago, it means that if I'm not an Eastern I can't be a Western either."

"Well, all I know is that I can prove you wrong. I've met your brother."

"Foolishness! Impossible!" he yelled.

"No, really! His name is Humphrey!"

"I don't care what my so-called brother's name is. Now go away!"

"C'mon, Stone. Don't you want to see your family?" There was a long silence after that, but Stone soon came to his senses.

"No. The last time I was in a family I couldn't control I was tricked into believing that they actually cared. Now go before I hunt you down and force Jane to EAT YOUR MEAT!" Then Stephen ran. The plan didn't work. A war was going to happen. Stone was too far gone to save. Nothing seemed to stop him. Now he wished Stormfast will. If Stormfast could reason with Stone, maybe the war won't even start.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 39: A Great Friend


	39. Chapter 39: A Great Friend

Chapter 39: A Great Friend **(Originally written on July 1st, 2013. Revised from November 7th to 8th, 2019)**

After the long talk with her mom, she went back to Simon's garden in Stone's Pack to meet up with Kris again as she planned. He was already there when she arrived.

"Hello again, Hannah."

"Hi, Kris. So what do you want to talk about now?"

"I don't know. We haven't really finished getting to know each other."

"Alright. What is your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Funny. Mine too. Who are your brothers and sisters?"

"Well, I have two brothers: one named Chance and an older one named Stephen. And I have one sister named Jane."

"Do you like any of them?"

"Well, me and Chance never get along, but me, Stephen, and Jane are fine. What about you? Do you have siblings?"

"I have three brothers named Henry, David, and Arthur and one sister named Martini. I don't really talk much to Henry, David, and Martini, but I'm pretty close with Arthur."

"Five pups? Your parents must be busy all the time. My dad told me a five-pup liter was rare."

"He is right. They're the first couple in the Valley to have five pups in many generations. My dad told me that."

"Who is your mom? I already know who your father is."

"My mom's name is Terra. That means 'water' in Old Wolfish."

"What is Old Wolfish?"

"It's a language that was last used more than six generations ago. Very few wolves know much about it now. My dad is one of those. Who are your mom and dad? Is Simon your dad?"

"What?! No! That wolf is like five decades old! Yuck! I just wanted to come with him to the Grand Pack where he did his announcement, okay. My dad is Stone, and his mate is Rhys. By the way, is it true that your father is dead?" At first, Hannah didn't know what he was talking about, but then she remembered Henry's plan a couple of days ago that caused Stone to believe Stormfast was dead. Like Terra, Hannah wasn't a huge fan of keeping secrets, which was why she put Arthur in charge of keeping her parents at bay, so they wouldn't find out she was sneaking out to see Kris.

"No. He is alive."

"What? Really? I must tell Stone!"

"What?! No!" Kris ran towards the waterfall den. Hannah pounced on him and pinned him against the ground.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"You can't tell him!" she growled.

"Why not?"

"Because... Do you want a war to start?"

"Well, no, of course."

"Then why do you want to tell him?"

"*sigh* I thought if I told him he might make me an Omega in return."

"Oh, Kris... you'll always be an Omega in my view."

"Well, your view isn't good enough."

"Hmm... How 'bout I make you a deal. If you keep it a secret, I'll uhh... teach you how to be an Omega."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah, and in time he will have no choice but to make you an Omega, so it's a win-win."

"Yes! Yes! I will go with the deal!"

"Good. Thank you."

"I will soon become my dream!"

"Don't worry. I'll walk with you every step of the way."

"That's really sweet of you, Hannah. Is there anything else to talk about?"

"Well, what do we have in common?" she replied.

"Our fur color for the most part." Hannah was white, and Kris was a slightly darker shade of white, almost light grey. "Our personality."

"Our eyes." They both had blue eyes. Soon their eye color would change as they grow older.

"Well, I only have one eye."

"Oh, don't be ashamed. It could be a good thing."

"What could be good about that fact?"

"Well... Umm... It makes you look handsome."

"Aww... Thank you, Hannah. You know, you're still beautiful, maybe even better." The same weird, new feeling occurred again. "Sorry. I have to go now. See you later!" He ran towards the main den. Hannah watched as he went. She started to have doubts.

_Would this really work out? But I... I love him. Yes. I love him. I'll wait as needed..._

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 40: Battle at the Lake


	40. Chapter 40: Battle at the Lake

Chapter 40: Battle at the Lake **(Originally written on July 2nd, 2013. Revised on November 7th, 2019)**

Soon after a short break, Stormfast went back to adding the borders. Garth had told him the size of Stone's territory. He wanted to make his pack's territory just as big. He continued scent marking every tree on the border he wanted.

As he headed north to place down the northern border he heard waves. The Pacific coast was hundreds of miles away. It couldn't be the ocean. There were also no known streams in the area aside from Stone's River, but it couldn't be a river. He followed the sound until dirt turned to sand. It was the lakefront, but he found an area he had not seen in a couple of years. It was the sandy shore of the lake, the beach. After that Moonlight Howl, he was dumped on the beach after falling in the Dividing River or what he called Destiny River, like his grandfather and his great-grandfather did.

Near the lakefront, Stone was quickly thinking to himself behind a bush. He had decided to take a break from the pressures of being pack leader. He had been managing a pawful of things for the past few days. Despite being tired of them he oddly missed the thrill.

He had banished Stephen. One half of him was sad. The fact of losing his first son was somewhat heartbreaking. His other half was proud of Stephen's exile. In some packs, having wolves who stood up to their leaders was considered a sign of a coup.

But he had won his ultimate goal: a dead Stormfast. He did not know what Jane was talking about. He had no pulse. He did not know how how he died. Maybe he was attacked by a bear. His frightening scar pointed to that.

But little did Stone know that these thoughts would change soon, that a voice he resented would be heard.

"Wow. I could be done faster!"

"Storm?!"

Stormfast now realized he could make the lake's southern shore his northern border. That way, he would save more than an hour of scent marking.

In the bushes, Stone was astonished. "How could he be alive?! I saw him dead! WHAT THE HECK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" He calmed himself down. "That's it! I'M GOING TO END THIS!" He went to the beach. "STORMFAST!" Stormfast turned around.

"Who are you?"

"Don't you remember, 'best friend'?"

"Oh, gosh. What have the demons done to you?" Stormfast had not seen Stone since that Moonlight Howl. A lot had changed since then, especially Stone.

"It's not me the demons have changed, IT'S YOU!" Stone charged. Stormfast simply dodged him.

"How is that? You're starting a war!"

"Sorry, Storm, but the war isn't in my paws."

"Then whose paws is it in?"

"That's classified!"

"Well, why are you with him or her?!"

"Because... it's for a great purpose: revenging those who punish the ones who've done nothing wrong."

"Are you sure that's a 'great purpose'? Who is this wolf? Is it your diplomat?"

"Sorry. Classified." Stone was enraging him.

"I'm not playing!" Stormfast swung his claws at him and growled. Stone pounced on Stromfast. "Get off of me!" Stone held one of his claws next to his archenemy's neck.

"I'd really hate to waste such a strong, confident, determined wolf. Oh, and, by the way..." Stone put his muzzle next to the black wolf's ear and whispered. "_After I kill you and win the war, I'll serve your carcass to your family and force them to eat it! Then.. I'll kill them!_"

"NOOOOOO!" Stormfast then drew his hind legs close to his chest before kicking Stone right off of him. Stone went flying and landed in a nearby tree. As Stormfast got back on his paws Stone fell out of the tree. (*snap!*) When he landed on the ground he broke his left forepaw. He tried to stand.

"Owww! Stormfast! This isn't over! You know the best part about this?! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Stone then ran away into the forest towards his pack.

"Maybe... but I don't corrupt others..."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	41. Chapter 41: Life in Warfare

**Part 3:** The War

* * *

Chapter 41: Life in Warfare **(Originally written on July 3rd, 2013. Revised on November 8th, 2019)**

**Eight months later...**

A lot had changed. The first day of spring was a few days away, but the pups were not pups anymore. They finished Alpha and Omega School early. They were adult wolves, old enough to have a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, now was not the right time to have one.

A war was present. To Stone's Pack, it was known as the Selfishness War. To the Southern Alliance and the Grand Pack, it was known as the Stone War.

Too many Grand Pack wolves have been killed already even though the Grand Pack outnumbered Stone's population nearly ten to one, but these wolves weren't killed in battle. They were assassinated.

Although Garth always appeared to be an inept leader, he wanted his pack to run smoothly. The anxiety he had wasn't his fault. His father, Tony, constantly kept the pressure on his shoulders.

Stormfast had a different approach to leadership. He was easy-going, fair, but enterprising. Terra thought he was practically born to be a leader, but nothing would prepare him for war. The sight of blood was his weakness. Stormfast did not like violence whatsoever. He avoided it the best he could. But what was happening now was unavoidable. Not only was he obligated to help Garth. His own Alphas had to fight in it. He was very fond and attached to them. What would happen if they ran blindly into a battlefield? Most likely they would die right away. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if one of his family members were killed in action. Hopefully, they would survive their first battle. They had enough training.

Life in warfare was never a good thing. During the War of the Divide, the Eastern and Western Packs both suffered. There were numerous losses. About sixty percent of the combined total population of both packs perished including Isaac who was once their great, dependable leader.

Fighting a war is difficult. You need strategy, warriors, and a good leader to win a war. Plus a hint of luck.

"Everybody! In my room!" Stormfast yelled. His sons and daughters were too big to sleep with him and Terra, so they slept by themselves in the left tunnel that was now known as their room.

"What is it, Dad?" asked Henry.

"There's something I should've told you a long time ago. You know we've been in a state of war, but my Alphas are going to be drafted." They all gasped.

"What? Why didn't you tell us?" said Henry.

"Because... y'all were way too young at the time to comprehend."

"How long have we been in this war?" asked Arthur.

"Since last summer."

"You kept that a secret for that long?" said David. "You must probably hate him, Mom. I know you hate keeping secrets."

"No, I don't hate him," said Terra, "but I'm not proud of him." Stormfast then continued.

"I just want to let you guys know that y'all will actually be fighting in this war. Omegas will offer emotional support, but the Alphas will physically be on the battlefield."

"Uhh, Dad. This sounds a little frightening," said Martini.

"I know. It may scare you, but remember what I taught you. Your main objective is to protect yourself. If you can do that then you'll be alright."

"How did this war start again?"

"*sigh* It's all my fault."

"Your dad doesn't really wanna talk about that right now. I think it's best y'all go back to your room," said Terra. They all left to go to their tunnel. Stormfast started crying.

"Honey? Are you alright?"

"Who am I kidding? Stone's right. This _is_ all my fault."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 42: The Secret Date


	42. Chapter 42: The Secret Date

Chapter 42: The Secret Date **(Originally written on July 4th, 2013. Revised on November 8th, 2019)**

In the middle of that night, Hannah was sneaking out of the den. Arthur woke up.

"Hannah? What are you doing?"

"I'm sneaking out."

"Where and why?"

"I'm going to Stone's Pack again to meet Kris."

"You've been doing this since the summer. Why can't you go in the morning?"

"Well, this one's different. It's more of a date."

"You're dating him now? You're gonna get caught. Now go before they wake up."

**Later...**

"Hi, Kris."

"Hello again. Guess what? I found a new place to hang out! Follow me!" She followed him to the edge of a small plateau. An abandoned den was near the cliff. The waxing crescent moon was right above them.

"Nice place. Very romantic."

"Thank you."

_How long do I have to wait?_ she wondered. _C'mon tell him! This is your only chance. Tell him how you feel! _"Uhh, Kris?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been wanting to tell you something. I uhh... think I'm in uhh... in—" Kris interrupted.

"Sorry, Hannah. Hold that thought for a minute. I have to pee." He went to the nearest tree and did his business. Meanwhile, Hannah was thinking.

_Let's go, you fool. Why are you hesitating?_

"Okay, Hannah. What were you trying to say?" She blurted it loudly.

"I think I'm in love with you!" She touched noses with him. They closed their eyes.

"Really, Hannah?"

"Yes! Most definitely. I love you, Kris. I want us to become mates."

"Aww... I love you too." With her right forepaw, she started rubbing his back. They opened their eyes. "Hannah? What are you doing?"

"I don't know, but it feels weird." Soon Kris was doing the same thing to Hannah.

"You're right." They both felt the same powerful urge. "You wanna... hug?"

"Yes. Thank you." They went inside the abandoned den. "What now? What do we have?"

"Apparently only each other." She nuzzled him.

**The next morning...**

When Hannah woke up Kris was on top of her. She tapped on his head.

"Wha—? What is it?"

"Kris! We accidentally slept. Our parents must be mad!" Kris got off of her.

"Oh, dang! I have to go!" He began to run out of the den.

"Wait for a second." She walked up to him and licked him on the cheek. "Be careful."

"Thanks." He then ran to the main den. Hannah walked back to her pack. As she did her lower back was cramping.

"Ow. What did we do last night?"

**Later...**

Arthur was walking in circles when Hannah finally arrived.

"Where have you been, sis'? I was expecting you'd be there a couple of hours but not the whole night!"

"I know! I'm sorry. We accidentally slept."

"Don't ever do that again. I had to make Mom and Dad think you were sleeping in near the river."

"Don't worry. I won't."

"So what did y'all do last night?"

"If I tell you, will you promise to never tell anyone?"

"Sure."

"Okay. We just got engaged."

"What?! Y'all want to be mates?! I swear, one day very soon Mom and Dad are going to find out and kill you. I don't think you should marry him."

"No! I want to marry him!"

"Why?"

"Because I've been with him for so long now. I'd die if we were to be friends forever."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 43: The Assassins


	43. Chapter 43: The Assassins

Chapter 43: The Assassins **(Originally written on July 7th, 2013. Revised on November 8th, 2019)**

"Sir, Stormfast. We need you in the East," called Hutch as he entered Stormfast's den.

"Okay. Alphas!" Henry, David, and Martini entered his den. He turned back to Hutch. "Tell him I'm at his service."

**Later...**

"Glad you could make it, cousin," said Garth. "These must be your pups."

"I think you mean we used to be pups," said Martini.

"Stay on track!" yelled her father. "Continue, Garth."

"Alright... You already know that we've been having some ambush killings around the Grand Pack. I just received word from one of my scouts that he saw two mysterious wolves near our southeastern border that didn't smell like Eastern or Western." Garth stopped due to the background snoring. David had fallen asleep.

"David! Stay focused!" barked Stormfast.

"*snore, snort* Huh? Wha—? Oh..."

"You both better start acting like Henry, or you both will be on probation!"

"Some Alphas you got here," said Hutch.

"Shut up!"

"No fighting in my den!" said Garth.

"Right. Go on," said Stormfast.

"Okay. My scout described one of them as a small red wolf with black spots and the other as a brown wolf with white on the tip of the tail. He said both of them are males. I want to find more information about them. I'm asking you because I can't afford to lose any more of _my_ Alphas, especially my captains: Kate, Claws, Smokey, Can-do, and Hutch."

"What about Scar?"

"Oh, uhh... I forgot to tell you, Stormfast. Scar was assassinated two moons ago." A tear came down from the black wolf's right eye.

"What? Nooo! *sniff* Don't worry, Garth. If these wolves are our suspects, I will make sure they'll suffer as much as they've made the deceased suffer."

"Okay... Which Alpha of yours is going to be my special scout?" Stormfast took a look at his Alphas.

"David."

**Meanwhile...**

"Good work, Chad and Cody," said Stone. "Who knew you both would be great scouts and assassins."

"Uhh... thank you, leader," said Cody.

Cody was a large brown wolf with light grey on the tip of his tail. His ears had holes in them. Chad was his best friend.

"Yeah, what he said," Chad replied.

Chad was a red wolf with a couple of black and dark grey stripes on him. He was smaller yet older than Cody.

"I guess finding you in that ditch was a good thing after all because now... I'm winning the war!"

Stone had found them as unlucky lone wolves. He offered them a place to stay as long as they fought in the war.

"You're right, boss. You're the smartest wolf I know," said Cody.

"Yeah, what he said," Chad replied.

"Well, here's your new assignment," said Stone. "You will go to the Grand Pack's southeastern border again. This time you'll stay there until I meet you there with Chance and Kris. We will draw their forces out then we'll attack the east side of the pack where a lot of the captains live. We will kill only their Omegas to send a message about our strength. When I say we're done we'll rendezvous back at our pack. Alright, do both of you understand the plan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Uhh... what he said."

"Good. Do not fail me."

**Later...**

While David was investigating Stormfast, Garth, and the captains were discussing where to attack. A crude map of the packs was drawn in the dirt in the center of the cave.

"I think we should attack here." Can-do pointed at the area of unclaimed land between the Grand Pack and Stone's Pack, an area known as The Strip.

"I don't think that's a good idea spot," said Stormfast. "I have David in that area."

"Don't worry about that. He'll know it's us," said Can-do. "

"Alright, it's settled," said Garth."We'll attack there tonight."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 44: A Changed Wolf


	44. Chapter 44: A Changed Wolf

Chapter 44: A Changed Wolf **(Originally written on July 8th, 2013. Revised on November 9th, 2019)**

Rhys was drinking out of Stone's River when she heard a strange noise.

"Hello? Is anybody there? That better not be you, honey!" she yelled. "Whoever it is I'm gonna kill you if you try to scare me!" Then something ran. She chased after it. It was a wolf whose fur was light grey with two black spots on the left flank. It was a boy. He seemed elderly. It wasn't Simon.

"*pant, pant* I'm sorry! Please stop following me!" Rhys ignored his pleas. "Really! Could you stop?!" Soon she caught up to him. They were running alongside the river. "Can you leave me alone?"

"Then why couldn't you leave _me_ alone?!"

"I thought you were a moose, okay?"

"What?! DO I LOOK LIKE A MOOSE TO YOU?!"

"No. It's just I'm badly nearsighted. You didn't look like a wolf. I was going to—" (*SMACK!*) He hit a tree. Rhys stopped running and went to his side.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm used to that."

"What's your name?"

"It's Justin. What's yours, sweetie?"

"I'm Rhys."

"Rhys? Rhys!" He started laughing with joy. "My Rhys!"

"What do you mean by 'my Rhys'?"

"You don't remember? It's me! Your Dad!"

"What?" Then everything came back to her, every memory with Justin and Terra came back. "Oh, gosh. What are you doing here?"

"After you left home three years ago I felt very sorry about what happened between me, you, and Terra, so I left the Pack of Honesty. I went looking for you both. Now after a year of searching, I've finally found you."

"Well, you know, Dad, I'm still mad at what you did. I don't know if I should forgive you."

"Oh, please, daughter, I won't do it again. I'm a changed wolf now. I've dedicated myself to not kill any more of your friends no matter how bad they influence you."

"Alright, fine. You're forgiven."

"Yes! So where is your little sister?"

"Hm. Not so little anymore. We've gone our separate ways."

"You killed her?!"

"What? No! Think, you old wolf! She's alive. She lives just a few leagues down the river."

"Oh, sorry. Any new things going on? How's your life?"

"Well, I have a mate now. Our pups are now grown wolves. We're our own pack."

"Can I meet your mate?"

"Uhh, sure. His name is Stone. His mentor is Simon. The den they're in is next to the waterfall downstream."

"Okay." He went inside the waterfall den. Both Stone and Simon were talking on and on about the war. "Hello?"

"Who are you?" asked Stone.

"I am Justin. Who is Stone?" Simon pointed at the wolf directly across from him.

"I am Stone, first leader of Stone's Pack."

"Really? Don't you think that's a little... self-centered?"

"What?"

"I'm just saying. You seem a little selfish."

"Excuse me?"

"Okay..." Rhys cut in. "Honey. This is my father."

"*sigh* One of the last things I want in my pack: someone who's going to tell me how to run it."

"Don't worry. He won't stay for long," Rhys assured him.

"Yeah, he will. Remember the rules?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"What are the rules?" asked Justin.

"Stone has a law that says that whoever steps a paw in the pack becomes part of the pack." Justin was outraged.

"What?! That is the stupidest—" Rhys shook her head to warn him not to object against the pack leader. "That is the greatest thing I've ever heard! Heh, heh!" Rhys sighed in relief. "What position will you assign to me?"

"Omega. You'll be guarding our prisoners; you'll be the warden."

"You have a prison?"

"Yeah. You'll make sure none of the prisoners I capture escape from the cave. Get the job now?"

"Uhh, yes, sir. Hey, Rhys?"

"What?"

"Are you sure _he_'s not a bad influence on you?

"Don't even start, Dad."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 45: Battle on The Strip


	45. Chapter 45: Battle on The Strip

Chapter 45: Battle on The Strip **(Originally written on July 9th, 2013. Revised from November 9th to November 12th, 2019)**

Tonight was the moment of truth. Chad and Cody were quietly waiting for Stone, Kris, and Chance to show up.

The scent mark was clear. They were on the edge of Grand Pack territory. This was the pack's southeastern border.

After hours of waiting, the wolves were getting impatient.

"How long do they have to take?!" yelled Chad. "I've seen snails faster than them!"

Soon enough they made it.

"Sorry, we were late. Kris was taking his sweet little time," said Chance.

"I was peeing!" cried Kris.

"Shhh!" Stone shushed. "We don't want to attract attention." Stone looked at the sky. "Alright, the moon sets in the west so... northwest is that way." He pointed towards the way.

**Later...**

On the other side of the border, an army of wolves was marching to The Strip. Stormfast and Garth were in the back behind everybody.

"Everybody! Be prepared for any attack!" Garth ordered. "An ambush is possible!" There was a loud rustling nearby. "Toby! Report on the sound!" There was no response. "Toby!" Toby was one of Garth's personal scouts.

"Sir, Toby is dead!" said Kate.

"What?!" Soon other wolves went missing.

"Garth! Dawn is gone!" Garth's anxieties were being unleashed to the point where they were really noticeable.

"Leader! Hutch is missing!" cried Can-do.

"How can this be happening?! How are we losing our wolves?!" said Garth.

"Sir, the two assassins are here!" reported Kate.

"Kate! Check around the area! If you find them, treat them as you would to anyone hostile!"

Stormfast looked behind him to check if Terra was alright, but she was not in the spot.

"Terra? Terra! TERRA!"

**Later...**

"Great job, Chad and Cody," said Stone. "You killed one and helped us imprison three others. And the best part—I got my archenemy's mate." All of a sudden a brown wolf appeared. All of them immediately hid behind the nearest trees they could find. The brown wolf began muttering.

"Oh, 'it'll be fun,' he says. Oh, I'll be your stupid special scout." Stone started whispering to Kris.

"_Son! Take him out!_" Kris peered at the scout.

_Maybe this... is a chance to prove myself!_ he thought.

"_Kris!_" whispered Chance. "_Don't take your sweet little time again!_"

"_Alright, guys. I'll do it!_" He jumped from behind the tree and rammed the brown wolf against another. He raised a paw in the air and slashed his neck open, barely missing the life-giving artery. The scout pretended to be dead so he would have a chance to live. "Now you can come out!" Kris said to his companions. He looked at his right forepaw. It was covered in blood. Since he was mentally an Omega, he felt very disgusted about it.

"Great work, son," said Stone. "I knew you had it in you!" For some reason, Kris was very sad about this wolf's death, but at least he proved to his father what he could do.

Suddenly there was a loud grunt. Every wolf in the group looked in the same direction. They all gasped. Another wolf appeared to be dead on the ground. Next to the carcass was Kate with her muzzle stained red. Chad was just slain!

"Run!" yelled Stone. They all retreated and escaped. Kate then turned her attention to the brown wolf lying next to a tree. She noticed he was still alive. She pounced on him and put her front paws on his throat, choking him. A quick message in her head told her to look at his tail. She did just that. There was no white on the tip of his tail unlike how the assassin with brown fur was described. He was most likely attacked by _them_.

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry, sir! Are you alright? Who are you?" He tried to speak.

"You're... on my... throat," he croaked.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that!" She got off of him. "What is your name?"

"David. Your pack's special scout."

"Ohhhh... This is what Garth was talking about."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 46: Stone's Prisoners


	46. Chapter 46: Stone's Prisoners

Chapter 46: Stone's Prisoners **(Originally written on July 10th, 2013. Revised on November 9th, 2019)**

"Oh, David. I'm so sorry!" Stormfast apologized. "We'll get you home as soon as possible! What did you do, Kate?!"

"It wasn't my fault! He was attacked by one of the assassins! I had just killed one and scared the rest away."

"Garth! We must go home now," Stormfast advised. "We've lost too many wolves."

"Uhh... okay! Everybody back to your dens!"

**Meanwhile...**

In a large cold den, Terra, Dawn, and Hutch were kept as prisoners. Justin guarded the mouth of the cave.

"Until you learn who's your leader you'll stay in here until you die!" yelled Stone before eyeing Justin. "Him here is your warden. He'll make sure you don't have any ideas of escaping." He then walked away.

"Hutch. I don't want to live here forever," said Dawn.

"Don't worry. We won't," he replied to his mate. "Hey, warden! What's the meaning of this? Why do you want to keep us here?"

"My name's Justin. It wasn't my decision to keep you here. I mean you no harm."

"Are you a prisoner yourself?" asked Terra.

"In a way. I don't wish to fight in a war, and I don't wish to keep y'all here." There was something familiar about that wolf that Terra couldn't quite know. What was it?

"Do you mind if we escape?" asked Dawn. She was an orange wolf who was known for being very softspoken. She was an Omega who wanted to help the war effort. Her and Hutch were one of the few Alpha and Omega couples, and they supported the Alpha and Omega Mating Movement, a revolution to fully lift all mating restrictions between the two ranks.

"I wish I didn't, but if I let you go, Stone will kill you and me."

"If you let us go, I promise I won't let that happen," said Terra.

"Hmm... I don't know."

"You can come with us... Don't you want to be free?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I really am. But not gonna risk it. Stone's cave is right over there."

"Well, if you can't do anything, I guess we are stuck here forever."

"What are we going to do now, Terra?" said Dawn.

"Wait," said Justin. "Did you just say 'Terra'?"

"Uhh... yes. She's the white wolf." Dawn pointed at her.

"Yeah. I'm Terra. So?"

"Daughter! It's me! Your father, Justin! Doesn't anybody recognize me?"

"Dad? Is that really you? What are you doing here in Stone's Pack? Wait. Let me guess. You met Rhys first."

"Yes, I did. I realized too late that she hasn't been herself. Are you warmongering too?"

"No. That's why I don't mess with her. Her mate changed her ways. Anyway... why did you leave our pack?"

"When you left I was so sad. I couldn't sleep for days. After a year passed, things got really stale with your mom, so we had another litter of pups. Unfortunately, they didn't live through their first week. A moon later, your mom had died, and another year passed without any family to talk to. After a long talk with myself, I finally decided to go and look for y'all."

"Wow. I can't believe you went through all of that. I guess you've learned your lesson about what you did to my friend."

"Oh, yes, I did. I totally—"

"Actually, no need to say. Leaving the pack was the best thing I ever did. I would have never met my mate, and we would have never had pups."

"You have a mate and pups?"

"Yeah. You have five grandpups, Dad. There's David, Martini, Arthur, Hannah, and Henry."

"Martini? Isn't that what your mom wanted to call you?"

"Yep. Do you still don't want us to escape?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I'll give you a deal. If you let us go, we will protect you, and I'll introduce you to the family I've made."

"Okay... I'll do it. I'll let you free! C'mon!"

"Yes! Good job, Terra," said Hutch. They then left the prison cave.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 47: David's Last Words


	47. Chapter 47: David's Last Words

Chapter 47: David's Last Words **(Originally written on July 15th, 2013. Revised on November 9th, 2019)**

When Terra and Justin made it to the den they noticed Hannah was crying.

"What's the matter?" asked Terra in the sweetest voice.

"David is dying!"

"WHAT?! Where is he?!"

"He's in the right tunnel, your room." She went inside only to see David lying on his back. There was blood all over the floor.

"Oh, David. What happened to you?"

"Dad had sent me on a scouting mission. I was... then attacked by our enemy."

"Please... don't leave us. You're our oldest pup."

"I'm sorry, Terra—I mean—Mom."

"Oh, you call me whatever. Just don't die on me. Where is Stormfast?"

"He's in our room." Terra looked behind her.

"Oh, sorry. David, this is your grandfather, Justin. Dad, this is one of your sons, David."

"Hi, sport. Funny, I just met you, and now this may be the last time I'll ever see you."

"Dad, you're not helping," said Terra.

"Don't worry about me. Go to your mate. Me and him are going to chat."

"Okay." She went to the left tunnel. Stormfast, Sparks, Arthur, Henry, and Martini were talking there.

"Terra!" Stormfast hugged her tight. "Where were you?" he asked.

"I was held in a prison at Stone's Pack. Luckily my father busted us out. He's here talking to David right now."

"That's great, honey. Look, I'm sorry about what happened to David."

"No need to apologize. It wasn't anybody's fault except Stone."

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have ever left him to the humans."

"Well, you should know if that didn't happen, I wouldn't have met you."

"You're right. I'm sorry again. I love you."

"I love you too." She licked his cheek.

"Awwww," said Sparks and Hannah.

"This is just like the bear attack three years ago," said Sparks.

**Later that night...**

"_David? David!_" Hannah whispered. "_Are you alive and awake?_"

"*cough!* _What... are you doing... up?_"

"_I waited until everybody was asleep to tell this secret._"

"_Secret? That's... not something you'd keep. What is it?_" She looked behind herself.

"_Come in, Kris._" Kris entered the den. Immediately the wolves recognized each other.

"_What... the—?_" David then puked. "_Why is he here? He's a—_ *cough!*" He coughed up blood. "_Murderer!_"

"_Wait. This is your brother?!_" questioned Kris.

"_Kris? What is he talking about?_" said Hannah.

"_Uhh... nothing._"

"_Liar!_" said David. "_My blood stains his paws as well as his soul._" Hannah looked at his paws.

"_Please... tell me... it's not true,_" she begged.

"*sigh* _It's true._" Tears fell from her eyes.

"_How could you?! After all we've been through?! Do you remember none of that?!_"

"_I didn't know he was your brother! Stone told me to—_"

"_So you're going to listen to your father?! The wolf who started this war and caused a lot of deaths?!_"

"_But..._"

"_I don't want to hear it! Until you figure out which side you're on we are not gonna be mates!_" She stormed out of the den.

"_You both... were engaged?_" asked David.

"_Uhh... yeah. I love her very much. Look, I am profoundly sorry about you._"

"_I'm sorry too. I'll_ *cough!* _make it... up to you for my sister's sake._" Suddenly he started coughing rapidly.

"_Are you okay?_" Blood stopped gushing out of his neck. David's body was now drained.

"_Uh, oh... I'm slipping away. Kris?_"

"Yes?"

"_Make my sis' happy, okay?_"

"_I will._" David slowly... closed his eyes. Kris now knew what he must do. _How will I do it?_ he wondered. _How can I make Hannah happy again? I love her. I really do. Does she still love me?_

After a long thought, he finally knew the perfect way to win her heart back: by song.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 48: The Song from Kris


	48. Chapter 48: The Song from Kris

Chapter 48: The Song from Kris **(Originally written from July 17th to July 20th, 2013. Revised on November 9th, 2019)**

**The next morning...**

Hannah was drinking out of a little stream. She looked at her reflection.

"Why did Kris do this? Why did he do it? He must've not been thinking straight lately." Then she saw him in the water also. She turned around. "What are you doing here? I'm too busy mourning."

"I'm very sorry but hear me out."

"No. I don't wanna hear anything you have to say!"

"Please, Hannah, just listen to me. Please! You will like it."

"*sigh* What is it?"

"Okay. Here it is." He tilted his head back.

**(Howling Starts)**

**Oh, I hate getting down**

**The same routine all year-round**

**I wanted to see something new**

**And that's when I found you**

**...**

**I dream of us at close range**

**Oh, you don't really need to change**

**If you give me your paw**

**Then I know that I won't fall**

**...**

**When you feel like you're gonna fall**

**Just know I'll always answer your calls**

**You're like poetry, soft and sweet**

**You make my heart skip a beat**

**...**

**Oh, you are very bright**

**So bright, you are my moonlight**

**I hated seeing you cry**

**I hated hearing you say goodbye**

**...**

**When I found you I knew you were mine**

**So I took it as a sign**

**I want to share my care**

**I want us to be a pair**

**...**

**I know you thought I was out of my mind**

**But you're the wolf who's my kind**

**I knew you were beautiful inside**

**Even through your tough rides**

**...**

**I really think you're my center**

**But our love is what I wonder**

**I really hope it is true**

**Because I want to liberate you**

**...**

**You are food for my soul**

**You're much cooler than a miracle**

**You're much colder than ice**

**Much greater than what would suffice**

**...**

**You never had a price to pay**

**I wouldn't have you any other way**

**I don't know if I'm the one for you**

**But seeing your face makes me feel new**

**...**

**You've brought back my sight**

**You're the brightest thing in the night**

**I'll love you for eternity**

**We'll show the world that we've been freed**

**...**

**Oh, we were meant to be together**

**I really will love you forever**

**I know my mistake was wrong**

**And that is why I'm howling this song**

**...**

**I don't know why you don't seem to see**

**That our love is destiny**

**You know what would be really great?**

**Being my trustworthy... mate**

**(Howling Stops)**

"Kris... That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"I'm glad you like it. Do you forgive me?"

"I'll do more than forgive you. I want us to become mates forever." They both smiled and licked each other cheeks. "I love you, Kris."

"I love you too. So what do we do now?"

"We should tell our parents about this."

"What?! Are you sure that's safe?"

"There might be a little turmoil but remember: no matter how much they might tell us not to be together we stay together. Alright?"

"Yeah, okay."

"You don't seem too sure."

"I just have a few doubts."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 49: The Revealed Secret


	49. Chapter 49: The Revealed Secret

Chapter 49: The Revealed Secret **(Originally written on August 5th, 2013. Revised on November 10th, 2019)**

"He will be remembered," Stormfast declared to his family. Henry and Martini slowly lowered David's body into the hole they dug. They were burying him on the other side of the hill, behind the family den.

"Mom? Are you okay?" asked Hannah. Her mother started crying on Stormfast's shoulder.

"No! Who would do such a thing?!"

"Calm down, Terra. I miss our son too," said Stormfsat.

"Uhh... Dad? Can I talk to you in the den?"

"Sure, sweetie, but I need to bring Terra. She doesn't do well at funerals."

"Okay."

"Alright. Martini! Henry! Bury him please." While they were burying him Stormfast, Terra, and Hannah went to the family den. Arthur was already there. "Okay. What is it?"

"Umm... don't be mad but... I'm... I'm... engaged." Her parents' eyes widened when they heard the news.

"What? Wow! Congratulations! But how? I don't remember you dating anybody," said Stormfsat.

"I've been secretly hanging out with him since before the war started."

"Secretly? Let me guess. You told one of your siblings to keep us at bay." Hannah nodded.

"Well, that explains a lot," said Terra.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Oh, don't be," her mother replied. "We're quite happy for you."

"Yeah. Pups, come in here!" yelled Stormfast. They went inside.

"What is it?" asked Arthur.

"Okay, everybody. Hannah is... engaged!"

"What? Wow! Congrats!" said Martini. "So who's your fiancé?"

"Yeah, who is he?" said Terra.

"Well, you're not going to like this but... his name is Kris." Arthur slowly walked out of the den.

"So?"

"Well, he's from the uhh... Stone's Pack." She prepared to wince.

"Wait. What?!

**Meanwhile...**

In Stone's Pack, Kris was ready to tell his family about Hannah. He was heading straight for the waterfall den. When he made it he shouted his mother and father's names.

"Don't raise your voice at us," Stone advised. "What do ya' want?"

"There's something I must tell you both. I'm engaged."

"What? How?"

"I've been dating this girl named Hannah."

"Hmm. This might be good. Right, Rhys?"

"I agree. Where does she live? The Grand Pack?"

"Actually she is... one of... Stormfast's daughters." After that was an awkward silence. A few seconds after it passed, Stone shouted:

"Simon! Chance!"

"What are you calling them for?" said Kris. Stone didn't answer.

"Kris. *sigh* Go inside Simon's den."

"Why?"

"NOW!" He went to the den. Afterward Simon and Chance met up with Stone.

"What is it that you want?" asked Simon.

"I need you both to make sure Kris doesn't leave that cave."

"Yes, sir." The went to the den and guarded the only exit.

"Simon? Chance? What are y'all doing?" said Kris.

"Sorry, bro. It's nothing personal, just pack laws," said Chance.

"Actually it's more like both, said Stone who was outside the den, behind Simon and Chance.

"Dad. What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping you in here for a while. Simon and Chance are your puppysitters."

"What?! You can't do that."

"I just did."

"But... I need to eventually see my fiancée!"

"Too bad. Wedding's been revoked. I don't want you dating my archenemy's daughter. Now... start yippin'!"

"What?" Stone came over to him and slashed open his leg. Blood quickly showed.

"Yip!" Stone yelled. Kris started yipping.

"_Psst! Stone!_" whispered Simon. Stone went to him.

"_What is it?_"

"_If I may, why are you getting him to yip?_"

"_Because... if he yips, his fiancée will think he's in trouble and come after him. When she goes inside the cave she'll be trapped._"

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 50: The Hostage


	50. Chapter 50: The Hostage

Chapter 50: The Hostage **(written from August 8th to August 9th, 2013. Revised on November 12, 2019)**

(*smack!*)

"Are you okay, Henry?"

"Yeah. My hunting has been off lately."

"I noticed. Every tree here has a crater in it."

"Dad. Did stuff like this happen to you?"

"Not recently." Henry frowned. "Oh, don't be down. You're not a disappointment to the family. In fact, quite the opposite. I'll tell you what, I'll give you a special private lesson."

"Thank you, Dad, but..."

"But what?" His son shushed him.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like... yipping."

"Yes, it does. I'll ask Terra about it." He went to the family den. "Terra, do you hear that yipping?"

"Yes. Quite odd."

"Let me see," said Hannah. She listened closely then gasped. "Mom! Dad! That's Kris! He's calling for help!" Hannah ran out of the den but Martini stopped her.

"What a minute. What if it's a trap?"

"I have no choice," she replied. She went around her.

"Martini! Henry! Watch over her," their dad ordered. They followed her to Stone's Pack.

**Later...**

All three of them hid behind a bush.

"Is that him over there?" asked Martini. Hannah looked in the direction Martini was pointing at.

"*gasp* Yes!"

"Okay. I'll go in the cave," said Henry. "If something happens, come and help me."

"Wait. What about me?" said Hannah.

"You stay here. Let the Alphas do this," he replied.

"Hmph. You guys are not fair."

"We just don't want to see you get hurt if there's danger." Henry then walked slowly towards the cave. Martini and Hannah both watched in intense suspense. When he reached the mouth of the den they all sighed in relief. He then went inside. "Are you Kris?"

"Yes... but should not... you should not be here."

"You sound weak." He looked at Kris's leg. "Ooooo. Look, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Suddenly something spooked Kris.

"*sniff* Oh, no! He's coming!"

"What? Who's coming?"

"My dad!"

"_Who's that wolf?_" Hannah whispered to Martini. The wolf didn't notice them.

"_I don't know but... Wait a minute. Uh, oh! It's a trap!_" said Martini.

"Too late!" said Stone with a snicker. "Oh, look. It's even better. Stormfast is down there." Stone guarded the mouth of the cave.

"I'm not Stormfast," declared Henry.

"You're not?" He looked closer. There was no scar on his cheek. "Are you his son?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's still better. Simon!"

"Yes?"

"Take care of him for me."

"Can do." Simon went into the cave. Henry growled. Just then, Stone let out a scream of pain.

"Oww!" Martini had revealed herself and bitten his tail. As soon as Simon's back was turned Henry and Kris escaped from the den.

"Cody!" Stone yelled. The brown wolf blocked their way. "Chance!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Report any more wolves."

"*sniff* There's one behind that bush over there." Chance pointed at it.

"Simon," said Stone, signaling the old wolf to approach. He growled at the bush.

"I know you're in there. Come out!" said Simon. Nothing appeared. He pounced on the bush. Nothing was behind it. "*sniff* A female was here."

"Hmm... Forget her," said Stone. "We still got these two. Thank you, Kris, for helping us. You are one of us."

"No," Kris replied. "I will never be like y'all. Jane was right about you!"

"Well, too bad about her."

"What?"

"Oh, you don't know? Well... I had to... simply execute her. Don't worry though. Your mother's pregnant."

"What?!" A tear came down from his one eye. "You said... that you banished her... You lied."

"You're a monster!" yelled Martini.

"No. Stormfast is," Stone replied.

"You obviously don't know yourself," said a voice. Stone turned around. Stormfast and Sparks were there. Hannah had told them to come! "Give me my pups and Kris now." Stone laughed in response.

"Simon! Get his son!" he ordered. Simon charged at Henry. Henry ducked. When Simon was over him Henry lifted his head and hit Simon in the stomach. He screamed in pain. "Simon! Are you alright?!" Stone then went to Kris and pinned him against the ground. "Nobody move or he'll die!"

"Stone. You wouldn't kill your own son, would you?" said Stormfast.

"Oh, I would, to win the war if that's what it takes."

"No. No, you wouldn't," Stormfast replied. "I can see it in your eyes." Stone stopped smiling.

"You're right." Then smiled again.

"BUT I CAN KILL YOURS!" He got off of Kris and headed straight for Henry.

"Henry! Dodge it!" Stormfast yelled. Instead, Henry got on his hind legs and swung his right forepaw, smacking Stone's face. Sparks then went and tackled him.

"Cody! Get him off of me!"

"Y'all four mates go!" Sparks yelled. The four wolves ran away. Sparks then joined Stormfast before Cody could reach him. Stone got back on his paws and looked at Stormfast's group as they exited his territory.

"Mark my words! I will get your son!"

Just then, Simon let out a loud moan. Stone went to his side. "Are you okay?"

"No. The black wolf broke a few of my ribs. They're poking in places they shouldn't. I think this is finally my end." He fell to the ground.

"No uhh... It can't be! You're my inspiration!"

"Stone. Stone! Snap out of it!" Simon slapped him in the face.

"Oww! Watch it! That's sore."

"Well, then... listen to me. You need to make sure you keep your end of the deal. Make the Grand Pack suffer..." He closed his eyes.

"Simon? Simon!" He didn't reply. Rhys soon came.

"What happened?" Then she saw Simon's body. She ran to Stone and cried on his shoulder.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 51: An Ordinary Day


	51. Chapter 51: An Ordinary Day

Chapter 51: An Ordinary Day **(Originally written on August 10th, 2013. Revised on November 14th, 2019)**

**The next day...**

"*yawn* Hello, world." Stormfast looked at his mate beside him and nuzzled her. She then woke up.

"Hi, Storm."

"Do you want to wake up the others?"

"Sure." He went to the pups' room and howled, waking up everybody.

"Really? Can we sleep?" Kris wasn't used to waking up early. "It's not even dawn."

"Yeah, he does this every morning," informed Hannah. Stormfast continued.

"Alright, Alphas. Today your only assignment is to hunt some food so get going." Henry and Martini walked out of the den. "Except for you, Henry. We're having our special private lesson." Then he noticed Kris wasn't moving. "Kris. I know Stone assigned you as an Alpha. Now go with Martini."

"Actually, sir. My dad's instincts when it came to assigning Alphas and Omegas weren't good," said Kris. "I demand on behalf of me to be an Omega."

"Well, your wish is granted," Stormfast replied. "I have to say you are quite the speaker. Anyway, c'mon, Henry."

**Meanwhile...**

"Alright. Do you know your mission?" said Stone.

"Sorry, Dad. Can you repeat it? I was daydreaming."

"That's okay, Chance. Everybody makes mistakes. Eventually they will pay for their mistakes. So stop daydreaming! Now... what I said was that you have you sneak to the Southern Alliance and spy on Stormfast or his family including Kris. Find out something we don't know that we want to know. Get it again?"

"Yes, sir."

**Later...**

**In the middle of the forest...**

"So what is it that you wanted me to see?" asked Henry.

"It's over here! Follow me!" Stormfast ran off. Henry ran after him.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

"Sorry. You're gonna have to catch up!"

"I'm trying!" He ran as fast as he could, but he couldn't catch up to his father.

"What? Is that panting I hear?" Stormfast taunted.

"*pant, pant* No! *pant, pant*" Henry held his breath. He soon became lightheaded. The next thing he knew he... (*SMACK!*) Stormfast stopped running and went to Henry's side.

"Are you okay, son?"

"Yeah. I just held my breath."

"Don't do that. You'll suffocate yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you still want to run?" he asked.

"Sure." They started running again. "Okay. I think I get it now."

"Yeah. Just breathe slowly."

"I know. That's what I'm doing. In fact..."

**Later...**

Chance was just about to cross the Southern Alliance's eastern border when he heard voices. He jumped behind a bush and looked out from around the side of it. He noticed Stormfast running by. Then suddenly he saw Henry run faster than him.

"What?" Chance said, surprised. "There's a wolf faster than Stormfast?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop," said Stormfast. He and Henry both stopped.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Did you just run faster than me?!"

"Uhh... yeah."

"Golly. I'm not used to that at all."

"You never met a wolf who was faster than you?"

"Well, no, though it could be two things: either you are faster than me, or I'm just getting old."

"You _are_ getting grey fur," said Henry.

"Okay, don't push it," he warned. "Hmph... Look at you. You got my speed. Looks like soon there will be a new legend."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 52: Wedding Crashers


	52. Chapter 52: Wedding Crashers

Chapter 52: Wedding Crashers **(written from August 11th to August 12th, 2013. Revised on November 14th, 2019)**

"Are you ready, Hannah?" asked Martini.

"I don't know. What if it doesn't work out?"

"Oh, don't whine," said Terra. "Matrimony is a great, fun, exciting thing."

"Well, do you know anything about weddings because I know you and Dad didn't have one," said Hannah. "You both nuzzled and became mates."

"That's because we didn't want one. You're lucky we're giving you a royal marriage."

**Meanwhile...**

"Are you ready, Kris?" asked Arthur.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"It's almost starting," announced Stormfast.

"One thing before you go, Kris," said Henry. "If you hurt my sister, I'll beat you up and poo in front of your den."

"Okay... I doubt that will ever happen. I wouldn't hurt a hair on her fur." Stormfast then came.

"It's time."

"Okay. See you guys out there," said Kris. He went outside. There were wolves assembled around a tree stump. On one side of the stump, Hannah appeared.

"I now present to you Omega Hannah and Omega Kris!" Stormfast announced. The wedding had begun. Sparks, Terra, and Justin cheered.

"Do you want to start this?" Hannah asked.

"No, no. Ladies first," said Kris.

"Okay." She started sniffing him. "_Umm... what's that smell?_" she whispered.

"_It's from my sweat._"

"_Are you nervous?_"

"_Kinda'._"

"_Really? There are only six wolves watching us. Look, just... close your eye and sniff me._"

"_Okay._" He did just that. "_Okay. It helped._"

"_Alright. Just do what I do._" She nibbled his ears then he did the same.

But just as they were about to rub noses someone screamed:

"WAIT!"

"Who said that?" asked Stormfast.

"I did." An orange wolf came out of the bushes.

"Garth? What are you doing here?"

"I heard there was a wedding so—"

"You better not be trying to crash it."

"I know what you're alluding to. That was years ago. I can't believe you're still mad about that."

"What did he do years ago, Dad?" asked Martini.

"Well, back when we were Betas him and I would crash weddings for fun. He didn't tell me it was a bad thing to do until I got in trouble."

"Anyway," Garth continued, "I brought more wolves." Ten wolves appeared from the bushes. "I also heard that your pack's population was low, so these wolves are willing to join your pack."

"Well, you are welcome to settle here!" the black wolf announced. The extra wolves cheered.

"_Psst! Stormfast! Don't forget about our daughter's wedding,_" whispered Terra.

"Oh, right. Let's continue with the wedding!"

The extra wolves seated.

"Oh, one more thing, Stormfast," said Garth. "While you and Stone were missing Tony had updated the way we do our weddings."

"So you're saying I'm doing it wrong?"

"Not yet."

"Well, what do I do?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." Garth went to one side of the tree stump, facing the crowd. "Do you, Omega Hannah, take Kris to be your trustworthy mate for better or worse?" Hannah took a deep breath.

"Of course, I do." Terra and Martini started crying with joy. Garth turned to Kris.

"Do you... What is your rank?" he asked him.

"Omega."

"Do you, Omega Kris, take Hannah to be your trustworthy mate for better or worse?"

"I do with all my heart."

"Well then. Does anybody have any words of disapproval?" No one spoke. "No? Okay. I shall pronounce this couple, mates for life." Everybody cheered. Hannah immediately nuzzled her new mate.

"I love you, Kris."

"I love you too."

"I have a question for you," Hannah added. "How would you react if I told you I wanted to start a family?"

"Uhhhhhh..."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 53: The Special Assignment


	53. Chapter 53: The Special Assignment

Chapter 53: The Special Assignment **(Originally written on August 13th, 2013. Revised on November 19th, 2019)**

"I will really miss you." Stone then buried the last of his old friend. He made sure he did it alone deep in the forest. He didn't want to show weakness to Cody or his son. "If only you could see your wish come true. But don't worry. I will make it... come true."

Suddenly he heard some footsteps. He quickly hid behind the nearest tree. He glanced around the trunk. All he saw was a black tail. "_Must be Stormfast,_" he whispered. "_Perfect._" In a split second, he jumped from the tree and pounced on the black wolf.

But he soon realized he got his hopes a little too high when he saw that the wolf he pounced was a female. "Wait a minute. You're not Stormfast."

"I don't know who the heck that is but... could you get off of me?" He suddenly got an idea.

"Hmm... Sorry but you belong to my pack now."

"Pack? Perfect! We're lone wolves, so we're looking for a pack."

"'We're'?"

"Oh, yeah. Could you get off of me first?"

"Promise not to run away?"

"What? Why?"

"Promise!" he yelled.

"Okay! Okay! I promise!" Stone got off of her. "Brooke!" she shouted.

"What?!" a voice replied.

"Come over here! A wolf is offering us a pack!"

"Okay! Hold on!"

"What are your names?" Stone asked.

"I'm Autumn," said the black wolf.

"What is it?" said Brooke, approaching them.

"That's Brooke."

"Is this the wolf? Brooke asked. Autumn nodded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Stone of Stone's Pack."

"Oh, so you're the pack leader? Could you take us to the pack?"

"You're actually already in my pack, but I'll take you to the dens." He walked towards it. The girls followed.

Autumn was an all-black, friendly, optimistic Alpha wolf. Brooke was a dark grey, protective, sassy Alpha wolf. "Just to let you know, girls, my pack is currently at war."

"War?" said Autumn. "Let me guess. With someone named 'Stormfast'?"

"Yes. And his pack called the Southern Alliance."

"_Psst! Autumn!_" Brooke whispered. "_I think we should have gone over there._"

"I heard that!" yelled Stone. "But that's okay. You both can't leave anyway."

"Why not?" said Brooke.

"Because I have a rule where anybody who steps a paw in my pack becomes part of it and has to do my assignments, otherwise my son, Chance, will kill them."

"That's a stupid rule!"

"What did you say?!" he growled.

"Nothing!"

"That's what I thought."

"_Psst! Brooke!_" Autumn whispered. "_Now I agree with you._"

**Later...**

"You'll be staying there." Stone pointed at Simon's den. Brooke walked inside.

"Woah! This is the biggest den I've ever seen!"

"Autumn. I need to talk to you alone."

"Uhh... Okay." While Brooke was preoccupied with the den they went to Simon's garden.

"I have a very special assignment for you."

"Really? What is it?"

"What I need you to do is go to the Southern Alliance and pretend to join the pack tomorrow."

"Do I have to spy?"

"Not exactly. Chance is already doing that. I need you to pretend to fall in love."

"What?! That's diabolic! With who?"

"Stormfast's son. You'll lure him here."

"I don't... I don't know if I can do it."

"Come on. It's for a good cause. Stormfast and his disciples are evil."

"How so?"

"They left me to humans." Autumn gasped.

"I'll do it! I'll do anything you want to make y'all even!" Stone smiled.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 54: Hannah's Arrangement


	54. Chapter 54: Hannah's Arrangement

Chapter 54: Hannah's Arrangement **(Originally written on August 14th, 2013. Revised on November 19th, 2019)**

With all of his new citizens, Stormfast now had his paws full of wolves to cope with. He wanted to make sure he knew all of them, so he assembled the new wolves into a single file line so he could induct them.

"What is your name, madam?" he asked a white female. There was something familiar about her.

"Name's Winter."

"Hi, Winter. Welcome to the Southern Alliance." He just couldn't quite put a toe on it.

"Thank you." She walked away.

"Next!" he called. Autumn walked up to him. "I don't remember you from the wedding."

"What wedding?"

"The one from yesterday."

"Oh, uhh... that one. I remember it now. You probably don't remember me because I was... late."

"Hmm... Do you know anyone named Stone?"

"Uhhhhh... yeah." Stormfast gasped. "The wolf named Winter told me he was your archenemy." He sighed in relief.

"Oh, okay. What's your name?"

"Autumn.

"That is a beautiful name."

"Oh, uhh... thank you." She walked away from him. "Whew. I almost got caught." She stopped walking and rested near the river. _Now how am I gonna find Stormfast's son?_ she wondered.

Just then, she heard someone near her,

"Henry!" It was Hannah. "Henry!" The Omega noticed Autumn. "Oh, there you are. What are you doing way over here?!" Autumn turned around.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Oh... Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Who are you looking for?"

"My Alpha brother, Henry. It's quite odd that he's disappeared. He's usually very behaved even for an Alpha male."

"Alpha male? He's Stormfast's son?"

"Yeah."

"Well, umm... I'm kinda' bored. I could help you find him. What does he look like?"

"He looks almost exactly like you. He's about your age and uhh..." Suddenly Hannah got an idea. "He's handsome."

"Handsome?"

"Oh, yes."

"Can we go look for him?"

"Sure. My name's Hannah. What's yours?"

"Autumn."

**Later...**

An hour later Hannah found him stuck in a thorn bush. Autumn didn't notice, so Hannah took advantage of it.

"Hold right here and look pretty."

"What? Why?"

"I'll be right back!" She went to Henry. "Henry. What are you doing in there?"

"Well, I was peeing, but I tripped and fell on these prickly thorns. Now when I try to move they hurt me."

"I can't believe you didn't call for help."

"I can't believe you didn't hear my scream."

"Whatever. By the way, a girl is waiting for you. I think she's into you."

"What?! Well, hurry up and help me out then!"

"Give me your paw." He stretched out his left front leg. Hannah grabbed it and pulled him out with great force.

"Owwwww! Geez! Watch it!"

"Sorry. Now follow me." They sneaked to a bush near Autumn. Henry peered through it. "See her?"

"Boy, do I! She's the most prettiest wolf I've ever seen!"

"Yep." Hannah pushed him out of the bush. "So go talk to her."

"_What?! Are you crazy?!_" he whispered. "_You nothing about this stuff!_"

"_Are you sure about that? I'm married! Now go!_"

"_Okay, fine!_" He started sweating on the underside of his paws as he walked up to her. "Hello," he said quietly.

"Oh, hi." She noticed his black fur. _Just like me!_ she yelled in her head. "You must be Henry."

"Uhh... yeah. What's uhh... your name?"

"Oh, brother," Hannah groaned.

But then something sparked. Henry ran to the nearest pretty flower and plucked it out of the ground with his mouth.

"My name's Autumn."

"Well... Autumn..." He walked up to her with the flower. "I think you're really beautiful and totally deserve this flower. Will you go out with me on a... date?" Hannah's mouth dropped.

"Yes. Tonight." The black female blushed. "Right here."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 55: The Ruse


	55. Chapter 55: The Ruse

Chapter 55: The Ruse **(Originally written from August 15th to August 16th, 2013. Revised on November 19th, 2019)**

**That night...**

"Are you ready yet, Henry?" asked Terra.

"Not quite. Arthur is almost done combing my tail."

"I can't believe my son is on a date. This is so exciting!"

"Oh, Mom. You're embarrassing me."

"Only because I love you."

"Is this a punishment, Mom? 'Cause I don't want to be here when y'all have conversations like this," said Arthur.

"You can go now, brother," said Henry. "I think that'll be enough. I'm ready."

"Alright then. Don't keep her waiting," said Hannah. "Oh, one more thing." She gave him a bloody caribou leg. "This is your dinner. Now go get 'em."

"Right." He then left.

He went to the place where Autumn said to go, but she wasn't there. He waited in the specific area until, finally, she arrived.

"Hi, Henry."

"Hey, Autumn. I... I brought us some meat." He dropped the leg from his mouth.

"Thank you."

"What's the matter? You seem down."

"I am a little, but I don't want to talk about it." She took a bite out of the leg. "So can you tell me about yourself?" she asked after she chewed and swallowed.

"Well, I've always been a bold wolf. Ever since I was a pup, my dad would remind me of the responsibility I have. I don't ever want to let him down, so I've made a resolution to always behave and listen and respect."

"Wow. You are very resolute like me. What is your aspiration?"

"I really don't have one. I guess... currently it would be... to date you again."

"Oh, Henry. You are very affectionate. I wish I could be close with you but... that won't happen."

"Why not?"

"I can't really explain."

"Oh, I see how it is." There was a long silence after that. It was broken by a question.

"Aren't you going to eat your meat?" Autumn asked.

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"You know, it isn't much of a date when you're no longer committed to it."

"Is it a date, Autumn? Or is it a test?"

"Well, of course, it's a date."

"Is it really? Because I wonder."

"Are you enjoying it?"

"I was. Look, I'm sorry about the way I'm acting. I'm just disappointed."

"*sigh* I think I have a surprise that might cheer you up."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come follow me." She and Henry walked eastward.

**Later...**

"Alright. Wait right here," she ordered.

"Okay." Autumn disappeared in the shadows.

Just then, he heard a loud snicker. Then, out of nowhere, two wolves grabbed his front paws from behind and pinned him against the ground. "Ow! Who are you?! Let me go!" He heard the snicker again. Autumn and Stone came out of the shadows. "Stone."

"That's right. Good work, Chance and Cody."

"What do you want from me?!" Henry questioned.

"It's not what I want from you. It's what I'm going to get from you. You can thank Autumn for helping me lure you." Henry was astonished.

"Autumn?! You are with them?!" He started crying.

"Put him in Simon's den," Stone ordered, "where I'll give him his punishment for murdering Simon." Chance and Cody began dragging Henry to Simon's den. "Thanks again, Autumn." Stone then walked away.

Afterwards Brooke met up with Autumn.

"I heard about your mission. How did it go?"

"It was awful! I hope I never have to do that again! I broke that wolf's heart! He doesn't deserve to be under Stone! In fact... I might've... actually... had feelings for him."

"Whoa. Are you falling in love? For real?"

"Maybe... but he probably hates me."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 56: Battle of Truth Part 1


	56. Chapter 56: Battle of Truth Part 1

Chapter 56: Battle of Truth Part 1 **(Originally written on August 16th, 2013. Revised on November 19th, 2019)**

Autumn took a look inside Simon's den to check on Henry. She was surprised to not see anyone guarding him or Henry escaping. The black male wolf was lying down in a dark, gloomy corner. He faced the wall.

"Henry? Are you okay in there?"

"What do you want?" he asked in a harsh tone.

"Aren't you gonna leave? There's nobody guarding the den."

"That's because I told them they didn't need to because I want to be in here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm such an idiot for believing that you were the one for me. I deserve this."

"No... No. You're not an idiot. I am... for tricking you, for having a fake date. I'm sorry for everything I did wrong."

"It's too late to apologize! Look at my face!" Henry faced her. Autumn gasped. There were three large slashes on his left cheek. He started crying uncontrollably. Autumn ran into the cave and hugged him. Henry cried on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for yelling!" he sobbed.

"Shh... Calm down."

"I really don't wanna be here! My face is on fire!"

"Well, maybe this will help." She licked his cheek. He stopped crying.

"Was that kiss profound?" he quietly asked.

"More than anything. When we get out of here I promise we'll have a real date."

"How sweet," said a voice. They looked outside.

"Dad?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Oh, Stormfast, I'm so sorry," said Autumn.

"No need. I heard it all. Plus Hannah was spying on your date and told me what happened." He then saw Henry's face. "Whoa. What happened to your cheek?"

"Stone did this to me." His face was swollen. The three slashes were very similar to Stormfast's scar.

"Why is your right paw covered in blood?" his father asked.

"Because that's the paw he made me use," Henry answered.

"Stormfast?

"Yes. Autumn?

"Look behind you!" she yelled. Stone then pushed Stormfast into the cave. After that, he laughed. Brooke stood beside Stone.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I can't believe I got Stormfast and his son! It just gets better and better. Take care of them for me, Autumn."

"No!" Stone was shocked by the response.

"No?! I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that command. KILL THEM!"

"No! You are a cruel, selfish wolf!" Stone then yelled with great fury.

"ARE Y'ALL THREE WILLING TO DIE FOR EACH OTHER?!"

"Make that four," said Brooke as she went into the cave and stood by the rest of them.

"*sigh* You know, I kinda' knew that y'all would turn on me," said Stone, referring to Brooke and Autumn. "Chance! Cody!" The two wolves entered the den. "Finish them!"

Suddenly a loud howl could be heard. "Garth?" While the wolves were distracted Stormfast, Henry, Brooke, and Autumn pushed through them and made their way outside. "No!" Stone yelled.

"Follow that howl!" Stormfast ordered. All of them ran in that direction.

"Chance! Cody! Stay here!" Stone insisted. "They're bringing the fight to us!"

**Later...**

On the other side of Stone's Pack, near The Strip, Stormfast eventually found Garth and his army.

"There you are, cousin," said Garth. "I became worried after Martini told us your son was captured."

"Well, I'm okay now. I've brought my son and a couple of other Alphas to help."

"That's good. We need as many Alphas as we can get, especially since they still have one dangerous assassin. I got almost all of my pack's Alphas right behind me."

"Send one of your Alphas to get my old friend, Sparky. We need him too."

"Okay."

"You know, Garth, this may be the last battle of this war."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 57: Battle of Truth Part 2


	57. Chapter 57: Battle of Truth Part 2

Chapter 57: Battle of Truth Part 2 **(Originally written from August 17th to August 18th, 2013. Revised on November 20th, 2019)**

Soon Garth's army along with Stormfast and his Alphas were head to head with Stone's little brigade.

"We don't have to do this, Stone."

"Shut up, Stormfast," he yelled. "I've come too far for anything else."

"Why do you want a war?" Garth asked. "The War of the Divide nearly destroyed us all."

"I got two reasons! Your grandfather, Bronx, had treated my dearest friend, Simon, like dirt! Even his Alphamates agreed that since he was a vegetarian he shouldn't hunt. Also because Stormfast left me for dead on that Moonlight Howl!"

"I wasn't leaving you for dead!" said Stormfast. "I was just getting help! I couldn't do so because I fell into the Dividing River! Do you really believe I would ditch you like that? I had loved as a brother, as a packmate, as a best friend."

"Don't listen to him!" ordered Rhys. "He's trying to trick you!"

"She's right! Nobody loved me. My parents didn't even want me!"

"That's not true!" yelled a voice. It was Stephen! "I've met your brother."

"Don't go bringin' back nonsense!"

"It's not nonsense! He said he does love you. In fact, we all love you."

"No!" said Stone. He then ran away. Rhys followed.

"Stormfast! Go after him!" said Garth.

"Okay." He went after him.

**Later...**

Stephen sneaked to the waterfall den. He didn't see Jane there.

"I know who you're looking for," said a familiar voice. Stephen turned around.

"What do you want, Chance?"

"You're not going to find her."

"Where is she?!"

"She's dead, Stephen."

"What?!"

"Stone killed her many moons ago." Tears came down Stephen's face. He ran towards Chance and rammed him against a nearby tree. "Oww! You wouldn't hurt your brother!"

"You... are... not... my brother! Kris is! Run away, Chance! Far from here! This is your last chance!" Chance then ran away into the shadows. "Good riddance." (*rumble*) It started raining. Stephen continued crying.

**Later...**

Stormfast was still looking for Stone.

"Stone! Stone, where are you?!"

Just then, he heard crying. He followed the noise to the bank of Stone's River. Rhys was crying all alone. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Stone... said this was partly my fault, and he ended our marriage."

"Oh... I'm so sorry."

"Now what am I going to do? How am I supposed to take care of my future pups?"

"Future pups?"

"I'm a week pregnant."

"Oh."

"What should I do?"

"Go to Terra. Tell her what happened. She'll know what to do."

"Doesn't she hate me? I finally realize what I had tried to do was bad. I'm a bad wolf."

"No, no. You are not a bad wolf. Terra doesn't think so either. She doesn't hate you. She loves you as a sister."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now... are you willing to help us in the efforts to stop this war?"

"I'll... I'll try."

"That's good enough for me. Do you know where Stone went?"

"All I know is that he ran upstream."

"Thanks." Stormfast ran back to Garth. "Garth! Stone is heading up the river! He's somewhere southeast of here!"

"Okay," said Garth. "Follow his scent. I got Sparky here. Take him with you. We'll stay here."

"Alright then. See you later." Stormfast turned to Sparky. "Ready?"

"Couldn't be more," he replied. The black wolf smiled.

"Let's end the Stone War. Together."

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 58: Ash and Blood


	58. Chapter 58: Ash and Blood

Chapter 58: Ash and Blood **(Originally written on August 18th, 2013. Revised on November 21st, 2019)**

Eventually, it stopped raining. Stone stepped out of the abandoned den he used as a shelter and a hiding place. He was on the edge of his southeastern border, far away from Garth's army. He swam across Stone's River, so whoever was following him couldn't catch his scent easily. He was quite convinced that nobody would him there. The area was too remote for any scout. Inside the den, he would mutter.

"Oh, Stormfast... I will kill you... your son more importantly. I swear... I'll kill everything you care, ever cared, or will care... Your mistake will cost you your entire pack... I will find a new mate... I will have more pups... I will build an empire..."

Suddenly the sky unleashed one last lightning bolt not far from the den. The thunder nearly broke his eardrums. He cowardly ran back into the cave. When it became silent again a weird new smell appeared. "Is something burning?" He peered out. A nearby tree was on fire! "*gasp!* Fire!" He got out of the den and slowly backed away from the flames which kept consuming nearby plants one after another. "Now what?" Soon the blaze turned into a wall. Now he only had one direction to escape: northwest towards Garth's army.

**Meanwhile...**

Meanwhile, Stormfast and Sparks followed Stone's scent to a dead end at the bank of Stone's River.

"He must've swum across," Sparks guessed.

"How could and why would he? These waters are practically as fast as rapids."

"Maybe he was desperate and got lucky. *sniff, sniff* I can smell his scent on the other side of the river. It's still incredibly strong."

"Let me see." Stormfast sniffed. "_Apples,_" he whispered. "How are we going to cross this?"

"Hold on... What about that?" Sparks pointed at a small tree overhanging the river. It looked like it was ready to fall. Sparks went to the tree and pushed it. It fell immediately and created a bridge over the river.

"Nice! Let's go!"

**Later...**

At the heart of Stone's Pack, Garth's army and Stormfast's group were waiting patiently for Stormfast and Sparks to return with Stone. But soon something else would engross them when two of Garth's Alphas mysteriously disappeared.

"What? How?" said Garth. "Kate! Report!"

"Sir! It's the assassin! What do we do?!"

"The assassin! It's just like the Battle on The Strip. We must retreat and go back to the Grand Pack!" They all left except Henry and Autumn.

"I'm going to my dad in case he needs help," said Henry.

"Wait!" yelled Autumn. "I'm coming with you."

"No way! Too dangerous." She then kissed his cheek.

"How 'bout now?" It took a couple of seconds for him to get back to his senses.

"Alright then. Let's go!"

**Later...**

When Stone was running back to the center of his pack he ran straight into Stormfast and Sparks.

"Stormfast?! Go away!"

"No, mate! We don't want to hurt you," said Sparks.

"He's right," Stormfast added. "Just come back with us."

"WELL, YOU DIDN'T COME BACK FOR ME!" He purposely rammed into Stormfast and pushed him down a steep hill. Then he turned to Sparks and clawed his neck.

"Oww!" While he was distracted with his wound Stone jumped and landed on his back. (*SNAP!*) The noise was soon followed by another, a loud a scream of pain. Stone then ran away. When Stormfast finally climbed back up he gasped. He ran to Sparks's side.

"I'm so sorry!" Tears fell and landed on Sparks's body. Stone had broken his back.

"Stormfast... Take my necklace... Tell my story..." He closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 59: The New Legend


	59. Chapter 59: The New Legend

Chapter 59: The New Legend **(Originally written on August 19th, 2013. Revised on November 21st, 2019)**

Stormfast took Sparks's necklace of bones and put it around his neck.

"But this is your family."

"I won't be needing it... I will soon see them..." He stopped breathing.

"Sparky? Sparky! Sparks!" There was no reply. He was gone. Stormfast gave a moment of silence.

After a minute, he started to notice grey pellets falling from the sky. At first, he thought it was snow. "Wait a minute." But snow wasn't dark grey nor does it snow at this time of year. It could only be one thing: ash. He looked to his right. "Fire!" A wall of fire was raging through the forest in the distance. A giant cloud of smoke was over it. He knew he had to leave, but he didn't want to leave Sparks's carcass. He grabbed Sparks's scruff with his mouth and dragged the body while walking backwards.

**Later...**

When Garth finally stepped back into the Grand Pack he turned around and looked at the sky. He saw a huge mass of smoke many miles away but approaching.

_Fire?!_ he thought. _We need to move!_ "Everybody! There is a fire at Stone's Pack! We're gonna go to the West in case the fire reaches the East. It's safest on that side of the Dividing River."

"What about the Omegas in the East?" asked Claws.

"Well, we have to help them evacuate then."

**Later...**

Henry and Autumn finally found Stormfast who was still dragging Sparks.

"What are y'all doing here?" said Stormfast. "There's a fire!"

"We noticed," said Henry. "We wondered if you needed any help."

"Well, can you help me with this wolf?"

"Isn't that Sparky?"

"Yes. He's dead."

"What?!" He started to cry.

"Henry! This is no time to mourn! That fire is almost here!"

"Right. Sorry." He wiped off his tears.

"Now help me!" The two wolves grabbed Sparks's scruff and helped Stormfast drag the body.

After a while of doing that, Henry noticed that they were moving too slow, slower than the rate that the fire was moving at. He let go of Sparks. "What are you doing?" Stormfast questioned.

"We're going too slow. The fire is practically behind us."

"Do you have a better plan?" Autumn asked.

"Hmm..." He looked at his father's back. "Yes, I do. How 'bout you carry him on your back, Dad?"

"Great idea!" Autumn and Stormfast let go of Sparks. Stormfast then went under the body and stood up.

"There, now we can run," said Henry. Stormfast, Autumn, and Henry began running.

After four seconds of that, there was a loud scream. Henry and his father stopped. Autumn was missing. "Autumn! Where are you?!" Henry shouted.

"I fell down into a very deep hole." Henry looked at the ground and saw it. She was in a six-foot deep hole. "Hurry! The fire's coming." The flames were a few feet south from the mouth of the hole. Henry inserted his paw.

"Grab me!" She jumped and put her claws into his paws. "Owww!"

"Sorry. Now pull!" He pulled her out just before the fire could reach her. But as she came out she hit her back left foot on an exposed tree root. (*crack!*) "Owww! I broke my foot. I can't walk! Now what?"

"Here, get on _my_ back," said Henry. She hopped and landed on his back. "Ow! Gently! Alright." As soon as he took two steps, Stormfast yelled:

"WATCH OUT, HENRY!" A fiery tree fell and landed right in between Stormfast and Henry carrying Autumn.

"Wow! We almost died!" said Henry. Now they were trapped. They were in a small space. Fire surrounded them.

"I'm sorry, Henry. There's no way out," said Stormfast from the other side.

"We're doomed," said Autumn. She started coughing.

"No!" Henry closed his eyes and jumped—right through the fire of the fallen tree. Amazingly, he made to the other side without him or Autumn getting burned.

"What?!" Stormfast could not believe it. "How did you...? *gasp!* That must be your legend!"

* * *

**Next -** Chapter 60: The River Curse


	60. Chapter 60: The River Curse

Chapter 60: The River Curse **(Originally written from August 20th to August 21st, 2013. Revised on November 21st, 2019)**

Stormfast was still astonished.

"You just jumped through fire as if it wasn't there!"

"I guess it was pure luck," said Henry. "Are you okay up there, Autumn?" She was shivering from the experience.

"Yeah... Never better..."

"Alright then, let's go."

**Later...**

They ran until they crossed back over Stone's River.

"We can't let the fire cross the river," said Stormfast. "We must take out the bridge!" Henry and his father went to one of the trunk's ends and pushed really hard.

"C'mon, guys. Put your backs into it!" Autumn encouraged.

"That's hard to do when something is on our backs!" Henry replied. They slowly moved the trunk down the riverbank. Then the tree fell into the river and was washed away.

"Let's hope there will be no winds," said Stormfast.

If the fire doesn't cross then only the south side of Stone's River will burn until it rains again. The south side of the river included the southern half of Stone's Pack and the southern half of the Southern Alliance. The hillside den was near Stone's River but luckily on the safer side. "Let's go, team. The safest place of all is the West in the Grand Pack." Stormfast and Henry both ran to the Grand Pack.

**Meanwhile...**

At the hillside den, Mike, the messenger, finally found Terra, Justin, Hannah, Kris, and Arthur.

"Inhabitants of the pack! There is a fire! We must all head to the Grand Pack. This is a warning from Garth."

"Where is the fire?" Hannah asked.

"It's far upstream on the south side of the river. It's probably destroyed half of Stone's Pack by now."

"Well, if we're on the north side, doesn't that mean we're safe?"

"Temporarily safe. A slight wind could move the fire over the river. At the Grand Pack, near the Dividing River—"

"You mean Destiny River?" Hannah interrupted. "It's what we call that river."

"Okay... In the West, near 'Destiny River,' there is a mountain with nothing flammable. That's the safest place, so bring everybody including your pack's new citizens."

"I'll tell everyone," said Terra.

**Later...**

At the West, Garth watched his Alphas and inhabitants of the East jump over the Dividing River. Normally a wolf could not jump this part of the river that was thirteen feet wide, but there was a ledge that barely made it possible.

One by one, wolves would jump from it. In this order, Alpha Hutch, Omega Dawn, Alpha Claws, Alpha Kate, Alpha Rhys, Alpha Stephen, Alpha Brooke, Alpha Can-do, and many other wolves and pups jumped over the river. Everybody else was already in the West including Omega Humphrey, Alpha Terra, Alpha Martini, Omega Hannah, Omega Kris, Alpha Winter, Omega Arthur, and many others. There were only four wolves left.

It wasn't long before Henry, Stormfast, and Autumn made it to the river. When Henry came to the ledge he easily cleared the river with Autumn on his back. When Stormfast came to the ledge he swung Sparks's body around and threw it to the other side. Then he jumped awkwardly—after someone unknown pushed him from behind. He landed on the bank on the other side. He was about to slip and fall into the water until Garth grabbed his right front paw. It was Stone who pushed him! Stone then jumped and landed Stormfast's waist.

"You're not going anywhere, Storm! YOU ARE FALLING INTO THIS TONIGHT!"

"No! The curse is broken!" Stormfast said to himself. "How could I fall in again?! The packs united, Isaac!" Then he remembered. Isaac said the only way to end the curse was to do more than politically unite the packs. Isaac's curse started when the last tree bridge fell. He needed to physically connect the East and West! "Garth! Bring down a loose tree!" Garth directed Mike to push a nearby tree down that overhung the river and that created a bridge. With the curse broken, a sudden burst of energy made Stormfast kick Stone off of him. "Sorry, buddy, but... I'm going somewhere." He climbed his way up the bank. Stone was washed away in the roaring rapids.

* * *

**Next -** The Epilogue


	61. Epilogue

The Epilogue **(written on August 21st, 2013)**

_All was well. The packs were finally at peace. Stone was never seen again. Stormfast had never been any happier. How do I know this? I'm Isaac. I live in the stars. And right now I can see my great-grandson howling in the night sky. He's happy because it rained. He's happy because the fire is gone. His mate comes and nuzzles them. He smiles. They both howl a song:_

**(Howling)**

**_No matter the fright_**

**_Even in the cold night_**

**_Light will shine all_**

**_So all will be bright_**

**_(_Howling stops)**

_You too will have a journey. This is his journey. This is... the journey of Stromfast, the fast wolf._

_The End_


	62. Credits

**The Journey of Stormfast (originally known as Stormfast, The Fast Wolf or How a Shadow Lives) **

...is an Alpha and Omega fanfiction of 60 chapters, 3 parts, and roughly 43,000 words.

**Song Inspirations:**

Fallen Pack is inspired by the Minecraft parody song by TryHardNinja, Fallen Kingdom. Chapter 48 song is inspired by Newworldson song, Learning to be the Light.

**Story Inspirations: **

Alpha and Omega, The Fox and the Hound, The Loin King, The Wolves of the Beyond book series, Milo & Otis, Romeo and Juliet, Marvel's The Avengers, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Balto, Captain America: The First Avenger, Surf's Up, Halo: Legends, Antz, How to Train Your Dragon, Minecraft, SpongeBob Squarepants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kung Fu Panda, Iron Man 2, Shark Tale, Regular Show, Emperor's New Groove, Meet the Robinsons, and The Incredibles

**Special Thanks: **

_Bane, Ghost Wolf, __Jackolivers a.k.a Section8bypass1, Star Wolf, __Black Cat Fever, RexieCakes, and Wighelm Wigworthy._

**I hope you've enjoyed this story! :) The sequel, The Journey of Stormfast 2, is available now. Thank you so much!**

**-DogDrawler**


	63. Extras

**Extras**

The following content is more insight into the making and setting of _The Journey of Stormfast_. Enjoy!

* * *

**This is the passage of time of the Journey of Stormfast. The first chapter is the "first day" as a reference point to give you an idea of how much time passes. It's even adjusted for the 2012 leap year.**

Part 1: The Cause

Day 1 - Chapter 1-3 **(3/20/2010)**

Day 2 - Chapter 4-7

Day 3 - Chapter 8-13

Day 4 - Chapter 14-20

Part 2: The Packs

Day 735 - Chapter 21-22* **(3/23/2012)**

Day 789 - Chapter 23* **(5/15/2012)**

Day 849 - Chapter 24-25 **(7/14/2012)**

Day 850 - Chapter 26-30

Day 851 - Chapter 31-35

Day 852 - Chapter 26-40

Part 3: The War

Day 1095 - Chapter 41-42 **(3/17/2013)**

Day 1096 - Chapter 42-47

Day 1097 - Chapter 48-50

Day 1098 - Chapter 51-53

Day 1099 - Chapter 54-60

Day 1100 - Epilogue **(3/22/2013)**

*if Chapter 22 is Different Pups and 23 is First Sight.

* * *

**References**

**Below are the different quotes and events that are directly inspired by other properties. Some of the quotes were changed when I wrote the book, but they're still inspired. You may recognize some of these references.**

**Chapter 3/4:** The trees are clawmarked similar to the trees that Steele clawmarks in the movie Balto.

**Chapter 6:** Stormfast says, "Missed my date." like Steve Rogers at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger. Terra refers to lightning as "sky fire" like wolves do in Wolves of the Beyond.

**Chapter 7:** Surfs Up, "Thank you, bro."

**Chapter 8:** Halo Legends, "Oh please, save your strength."

**Chapter 11:** Sparks says, "thanks guys." like Andy says at the end of Toy Story 3.

**Chapter 16:** How to Train your Dragon, "I should've seen the signs."

**Chapter 19:** Antz, "what are we gonna do?" "there's nothing we can do." Spongebob movie, "She was tired of running away."

**Chapter 20:** Diary of a Wimpy Kid, "It scared the living daylights out of them." Up, "Well you gotta want some name."

**Chapter 22:** Kung Fu Panda "the present, the gift"

**Chapter 24:** Avengers, "you dull creature!"

**Chapter 31:** Wolves of the Beyond, "outflanker"

**Chapter 40:** Legend of the Guardians, Stone charged and Stormfast simply dodged him like how Soren dodges Kludd before he says he doesn't understand. Another Legend of the Guardians reference, "hate to waste such a strong, confident"

**Chapter 47:** Avengers, "do you remember none of that?" Lion king, "please tell me it's not true!" "It's true." How to Train your Dragon, "figure out which side you're on!"

**Chapter 48:** How to train your dragon, "I don't wanna hear anything you have to say!"

**Chapter 49:** Iron Man 2, "Simon and chance are your babysitters." like when Justin Hannah has security guards watching Ivan Vanko.

**Chapter 50:** The Incredibles, "I will get your son!" Shark Tale, Simon slaps Stone before he dies like Frankie slaps Lenny. Charlotte's Web (the movie), "Simon? Simon!" like how Wilbur screams after Charlotte died.

**Chapter 51:** Regular Show, "everyone makes mistakes. Eventually, they will pay for their mistakes." Fox and the hound, "Golly." Tod says 'Golly' a lot.

**Chapter 52:** Iron Man 2, "poo in front of your den." Justin Hammer says he wants to 'take a dump' in front of Stark's front lawn. Chapter name, Wedding Crashers named after the movie of the same name because it sounded cool.

**Chapter 54:** Fox and the Hound, Hannah confuses Autumn for Henry like Big Mama confused Vixey for Tod. Another Fox and the Hound, "He's about your age and uhh he's handsome." "Handsome?"

**Chapter 56:** SpongeBob, Squidward says from Wishing You Well episode when he sees Spongebob and Patrick in the hole, "it just gets better and better."

**Chapter 57:** Avengers, "I've come too far for anything else." Meet the Robinsons, "My parents didn't even want me." Lion king, "Run away, Chance!" like when Simba says 'Run away, Scar'

**Chapter 58:** Emperors New Groove, "Is something burning?"

**Chapter 59:** Milo & Otis (the movie about a cat and a pug), Autumn falls down a deep hole like Milo does. Volcano (the natural disaster movie), a fiery tree falls between Henry and Stormfast just like the fiery palm tree that falls and traps Tommy Lee Jones and the scientist after the police shoot the bus tires.


End file.
